PATNA HIGH COURT
V.Ramaswami and N.L.Untwalia JJ.
Bhola Pd.Singh
Versus
Prof.U.A.Goswami
Miscellaneous Judicial Case No. 1022 of 1962 ;
Decided On : DECEMBER 21, 1962
CONSTITUTION OF INDIA, 1950 - ARTICLE 226 - WRIT OF CERTIORARI - POWER OF CHANCELLOR TO REVIEW HIS OWN ORDER - BIHAR STATE UNIVERSITIES ACT, 1960 - SECTION 8(4) - SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY - BIHAR AND ORISSA GENERAL CLAUSES ACT - SECTION 24 - APPLICABILITY - APPROVAL OF APPOINTMENT OF PRINCIPAL OF COLLEGE BY SYNDICATE - IRREGULARITIES - EFFECT - MALA FIDE APPOINTMENT - WRIT OF CERTIORARI - WHEN CAN BE ISSUED.
Fact of the Case:
The petitioner, Shri Bhola Prasad Singh, Principal, Rajendra College, Chapra, on his application under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, obtained a rule from this Court against Professor U.A. Goswami, Head of the Department of Mathematics of the said College, respondent 1, Professor I.H. Rizvi, Head of the Department of Persian, at present Principal of Millat College, Laheriasarai, Darbhanga, respondent 2, Professor Sitanath Jha, Head of the Department of Economics, Rajendra College, respondent 3, the Governing Body of the College, respondent 4, the University of Bihar, Muzaffarpur, respondent 5, the Vice-Chancellor (respondent 6) and the Chancellor (respondent 7) of the said University, to show cause why the order of the Chancellor dated the 17th of September, 1962 (annexure B to the application) annulling the resolutions of the Syndicate of the Bihar University passed at its meetings held on the 24th June, 1960, and 7th and 8th October, 1961, approving the appointment of the petitioner as Principal of the College, be not quashed by issuing a writ in the nature of certiorari.
Finding of the Court:
The impugned order of the Chancellor is ultra vires, without jurisdiction and, null and void.
Issues: 1. Whether the Chancellor has the power to review his own order passed under Section 8(4) of the Act? 2. Whether the approval of the appointment of the Principal of the College by the Syndicate is a proceeding of the University? 3. Whether the Chancellor can annul the approval of the appointment of the Principal of the College by the Syndicate on the ground of any error of judgment? 4. Whether the Chancellor could do so without giving an opportunity to the petitioner to show cause against the proposed action under Section 8(4) of the Act?
Ratio Decidendi: 1. The power of the Chancellor under Section 8 (4) of the Act is a power of a quasi-judicial nature. 2. The approval of the appointment of the Principal of the College by the Syndicate is a proceeding of the University. 3. The Chancellor can annul the approval of the appointment of the Principal of the College by the Syndicate only when it is ultra vires, i.e., in excess of jurisdiction of the Syndicate, but not on the ground of arty error of judgment. 4. The Chancellor could not do so without giving an opportunity to the petitioner to show cause against the proposed action under Section 8(4) of the Act as the impugned order did affect the right of the petitioner to the post of the Principal of the College specially when he had been confirmed to that post more than a year before the passing of the order.
Final Decision: The application is allowed and a writ in the nature of certiorari is granted quashing the order of the Chancellor of the University of Bihar dated 17th of September, 1962.
Untwalia, J.
1. The petitioner, Shri Bhola Prasad Singh, Principal, Rajendra College, Chapra, on his application under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, has obtained a rule from this Court against Professor U.A. Goswami, Head of the Department of Mathematics of the said College, respondent 1, Professor I.H. Rizvi, Head of the Department of Persian, at present Principal of Millat College, Laheriasarai, Darbhanga, respondent 2, Professor Sitanath Jha, Head of the Department of Economics, Rajendra College, respondent 3, the Governing Body of the College, respondent 4, the University of Bihar, Muzaffarpur, respondent 5, the Vice-Chancellor (respondent 6) and the Chancellor (respondent 7) of the said University, to show cause why the order of the Chancellor dated the 17th of September, 1962 (annexure B to the application) annulling the resolutions of the Syndicate of the Bihar University passed at its meetings held on the 24th June, 1960, and 7th and 8th October, 1961, approving the appointment of the petitioner as Principal of the College, be not quashed by issuing a writ in the nature of certiorari.
Cause has been shown on behalf of respondents 5 to 7 by filing a counter-affidavit with annexures and also by placing relevant original records from the office of the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor of the University, copies of some of which, on our direction, were supplied to us at the time of the hearing of the application, and the learned Advocate-General has opposed the application on their behalf. Respondent 1 also filed a counter-affidavit and his case was argued by his learned advocate, Mr. B.C. Ghosh. Mr. Keshari Kishore Saran appeared at the hearing or the application on behalf of respondent 2 and adopted the argument of the learned Advocate-General. Mr. Hari Kishore Thakur appearing for respondent 3 adopted a neutral attitude, as he put it, and neither supported the petitioner nor opposed his application. Nobody appeared on behalf of the 4th respondent. The petitioner has also filed his replies to the counter-affidavit filed by respondent 1 and respondents 5 to 7, on whose behalf further affidavits in reply have also been filed. The relevant facts for the disposal of this application, which I shall be mentioning in this judgment, will be on the basis of the statements made in the petition and the various affidavits as also on the basis of the copies of the original documents supplied to us at the hearing of the application.
2. The petitioners case is that in the year 1960 the post of the Principal of the College became vacant and the Governing Body decided to fill up the post by promotion from amongst the qualified teachers of the College by a resolution passed in a meeting held on April 25, 1960, and invited applications from the qualified teachers of the College, the minimum qualification being 10 years teaching experience and second class masters degree. In response to the invitation for applications, the petitioner and respondents 1 to 3 applied for the post. The Governing Body authorised Shri U. Vaidyanathan, I.A.S., the then District Magistrate of Saran, and a member of the Governing Body of the College, to scrutinise the claims and comparative merits of all the four teachers who had applied for the post of Principal. He recommended the case of the petitioner and the members of the Governing Body, as a whole, duly considered the claims and merits of the 4 applicants and appointed the petitioner as Principal of the College by a resolution passed at its meeting on the 15th May, 1960.
The appointment of the petitioner as Principal was forwarded to the University of Bihar for approval Under Arts. 4 and 5 of Chapter XVI of the Bihar University Statute, hereinafter referred to as the Statute. The Syndicate, by a resolution passed at its meeting held on the 24th of June, 1960, approved of the petitioners appointment. But, in the meantime, according to his case, he had taken over charge as Principal of the C
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