Nagpur: The appointment of regular deans in faculties of Humanities, Science and Technology, Commerce and Management, and Interdisciplinary Studies at Nagpur University (NU) has been delayed due to a pending court case arising from the appointment of former dean of Interdisciplinary Studies, Prashant Kadu.Kadu, then principal of Abha Gaikwad-Patil College of Engineering, was appointed dean of Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies in 2022. Senior university members argued, Kadu, an engineering academic, did not belong to interdisciplinary faculty and therefore was ineligible for the post.In June 2023, then Chancellor and Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais cancelled Kadu’s appointment, holding the qualifications prescribed in the advertisement were not in consonance with the MPU Act.Nagpur Bench of Bombay high court subsequently stayed the cancellation and later quashed it, remanding the matter back to the Chancellor for reconsideration. The legal battle continued, with the court granting interim relief to Kadu. After Kadu demitted office as per norms, charge of Interdisciplinary Studies faculty was handed over to Rajashri Vaishnaw on temporary basis.VC Manali Kshirsagar said in case of any legal objection, the new process too may get stalled. “We have initiated the case closure process. The tenure of the dean ended, but the case continued,” she said.
