Place application for reader post: HC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Madras University registrar to place the application of Dr M Vathsala before the screening committee for considering her candidature for the post of reader in bio-technology. Justice Chitra Venkataraman gave the direction while allowing a writ petition from Vathsala, recently.The judge also indicted the HoD of bio-technology for rejecting Vathsala’s application. The HoD, under whom Vathsala had worked as assistant professor for over four years, could have called for the details with regard to her research papers. “Given the fact that the petitioner had worked as assistant professor under the said HoD, it is surprising that the HoD rejected the application without even calling upon the petitioner to supply the full text and details on the journals publishing the petitioner’s research papers,” the judge said. “If the HoD felt that the particulars given were insufficient to forward the application and further particulars were required on the research papers referred to in the application, nothing prevented him from calling for the details of the work done by the petitioner to find out as to whether the research papers were published in accredited international and national journals and also to find out whether they were all the contributions of the petitioner,’’ the judge noted.‘‘In the circumstances, satisfied of the stand taken by advocate A Arulmozhi, counsel for petitioner, I feel that in fitness of things, the petitioner’s application, along with details on her research, merits to be placed before the committee for purpose of satisfying itself as to the eligibility of the petitioner for appointment to the post of reader,’’ the judge said and added that it should be done in four weeks. Vathsala, belonging to ST community, had secured first rank in the university in the Master’s Degree in Animal Bio-Technology.