Indore: High Court rules in favour of Prof Mehta, now Prof Yadav is junior

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Division bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday ruled in favour of DAVV faculty member Prof Deepak Mehta, who had challenged a single bench's order making Prof SK Yadav senior to him.

Division bench comprising Justice Subodh Abhyankar and Justice Satyendra Kumar Singh restored orders passed by DAVV registrar in 2009 which on the basis of merit had made Mehta senior to Yadav.

Yadav had challenged the registrar’s orders in High Court stating that though he and Mehta had joined the university on the same day but age-wise he is older to Mehta so he is senior to his colleague.

He had also stated that because Mehta was made senior to him, he was appointed dean of faculty of physical education. Through its order dated March 25, 2021, the single bench had quashed registrar’s orders issued in 2009 and ruled Yadav as senior. The court had also ordered for appointing Yadav as dean on the basis of seniority.

Through a writ appeal, Mehta challenged the single’s bench judgement claiming that as per provisions of MP University Act he is senior to Yadav and that deanship is not attached to seniority. Dean post is a rotational post on which any professor of the physical education department can be appointed on the rotational basis.

After listening to all parties, the division bench set aside the single bench order and restored orders issued by the university registrar in 2009.