PU retirement row, Final call to be taken by central government

The Punjab and Haryana high court has asked the Union ministry of human resource development (HRD) to clear its stand on whether the retirement age of Panjab University faculty should be increased or not, by December 7.

The court has asked the HRD secretary to remain present in the court on the next date of hearing on December 7 if the ministry failed to file its reply again.

The direction by the high court bench of justice Lisa Gill came following the Punjab government clearing its stand and saying it did not favour increasing the retirement age of the PU faculty. However, the final call on the issue is to be taken by the central government.

The HRD ministry had failed to file its reply on the issue on Thursday.

More than 30 faculty members of PU have approached the high court challenging their retirement orders on the grounds that PU was a central university as it received grants from the central government.

The petitioners argued that the retirement age of the teachers should be enhanced to 65 years from the current 60 as had been done in the case of central universities. The high court stayed their retirement orders last year.

The high court had sought Punjab’s response after the Centre had said on September 2 that PU was neither a central university nor a state varsity.

According to the Re-organisation Act of 1966, PU is an inter-state corporate body and hence the concurrence of the Punjab government was also needed.