Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Saturday directed the Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University to constitute an expert committee within eight weeks to consider the claims of a group of petitioners who retired after January 1, 2009, to be treated as professors for the benefit of higher academic grade pay of Rs 12,000. The court said the governments of AP and TS were bound by the order in view of the state reorganisation and the bifurcation of the university.
Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao was allowing two separate petitions filed by Dr B. Bucha Reddy and 28 retired professors of the varsity seeking placement of 10 per cent posts of professors who are entitled to higher AGP introduced as a measure of career advancement by the University Grants Commission, which had been implemented by the AP government from February 20, 2010, and payment of arrears apart from re-fixation of their pension.
According to the petitioners, the university had refused to extend the AGP benefit to them when the president of the Retired Teachers Association had represented the matter on March 24 and April 28, 2012. The registrar had stated that that retired professors were not eligible for the benefit.
The judge that found there was a delay in implementing revised UGC pay scales by the government and the university. The varsity had included Para 9 (iv) of the Career Advancement Scheme Regulations, 2011 making retired teachers in the cadre of professor ineligible for extension of benefit as per the UGC pay scales of 2006. The judge said that the petitioners cannot be made to suffer because of the delay caused by the government and the university.
Setting aside Para 9(iv) of Regulations 2011, the judge directed the university to address both the state governments with regard to consideration of cases of professors who retired between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2008 for the benefit.
