Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday asked a petitioner whether there was a law that barred a person from holding charge as vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad on the grounds of having his name as accused no.1 in a criminal case.
A division bench was dealing with a PIL, urging the court to remove Prof. Appa Rao Podile as UoH V-C. The petitioner questioned the Centre’s action in permitting Prof. Appa Rao to reassume charge despite he being Accused No. 1 in a case registered against him under various sections of the IPC in the suicide case of research scholar Rohith Vemula.
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Court asks Congress MP V. Hanumantha Rao to explain
When counsel for Congress MP V. Hanumantha Rao told the court that the police had shown UoH vice-chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile as Accused No. 1 in the Rohith Vemula suicide case, as he was booked under various sections of the IPC and the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao asked whether there was any law or rule which prevented a person from holding the post of V-C if there was a criminal case pending.
The bench asked counsel to inform the court on Monday if any provision was available to restrain the V-C from holding office on grounds of a pending criminal case.
