Interim order in the petition filed against the lockout by students and teachers in the office of the Vice-Chancellor, Rector, Registrar Service Commission.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued an interim order to open the lockdown that has been ongoing for 34 days in Tribhuvan University. The bench of Judge Nripadhwaj Niraula has issued an interim order in the name of Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Head Office and Police Circle Kirtipur not to lock/not to lock, to open/open if locked.
Advocate Mahesh Bhattarai and others registered a writ in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, demanding that the offices of the Vice-Chancellor, Rector, Registrar, Service Commission and others be opened. In the
writ, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Headquarters, District Administration Office Kathmandu, Police Circle Kirtipur, Vice-Chancellor, Registrar's Office were made opponents. Gokul Lechhwa Limbu, chairman of the Central Committee of Part-time Professors of the University, co-chairman Rajendra Acharya, general secretary Vaikunth Thapa and Shivraj Bhatt, the acting president of the All Revolutionary University, were also made opponents.
The 14/15 officers belonging to the New Union of Shankardeva, Saraswati, Public Youth, Sanothimi campuses, who were demanding the opening of the graduation level admissions that ended in January, vandalized the vice chancellor's office on June 14 and locked it. On May 30, the partial faculty union locked the registrar, rector and service commission offices along with the vice-chancellor.
The UNSC Central Committee and the elected members of the SWVU have not taken official responsibility for the lockdown. The university filed a complaint with the police to take action against those involved in the vandalism. After that, the Kathmandu Police Complex arrested 2 people involved in vandalizing public property and handed them over to the District Administration Office in Kathmandu to be prosecuted for indecent behavior, but they escaped the next day.
Home administration along with the police have been criticized saying that another weak case has been prosecuted in vandalism of public property. The professors who were protected because those involved in the vandalism are close to the Home Minister Ramesh Utkar have complained. The officials of the University complained to the Prime Minister and Vice-Chancellor KP Sharma Oli, Minister of Home Affairs, Education Minister and Vice-Chancellor Raghuji Pant that those involved in the vandalism were not brought to action.
Part of the professors union has been taking responsibility for the lockdown and has been obstructing the officials and employees from sitting and working outside the office. The union has locked down after the university started the 'fast track' process of appointing assistant professors, associate professors and professors through interview after graduation and active in research. On the recommendation of the Tertiary Executive Council, the Service Commission had published an advertisement in the last week of May to appoint 120 professors from the 'fast track'. The University appointed some associate professors and professors through the University Grants Commission in 2076 and 2078 through the same method.
The union said that according to the agreement reached on 18 July 2081, instead of appointing a part of the contract, they are trying to relocate. Some professors are demanding that advertisements should be opened so that everyone can compete on the basis of experience. President Limbu had been warning that the lockout would continue until the partial professors' demands were met by canceling the advertisement.
The practice of part-time appointment, automatic contract appointment and contract-based permanent appointment through limited competition has been going on in the university. The Supreme Court has repeatedly banned it saying that internal competition is not allowed.
The main administrative office of the university is at a standstill due to the lockout of teachers and students. Acting Vice-Chancellor Khadg KC, Rector Duvinand Dhakal, Registrar Kedar Rizal have not returned to the office in Kirtipur since 14 May. Employees say they are unable to go to office due to insecurity. Chairman of Tertiary Service Commission Ghanshyam Bhattarai, member Ajay Bhattarai has also not been able to go to office for 3 weeks. Some of the officials and employees of the University have been working from the Dean's Office, Smriti Bhawan and other institutions of the Institute of Engineering Studies at Pulchok. They say that Limbu, the president of the partial professors' association, who is blocking the lock even when they are working elsewhere, is obstructing them.
