100.Another stab in the back in the last minute

So, time was approaching fast to bid farewell  to  the institution   which I started serving in 1969. My superannuation  was  expected on 30^th April 2011, at the ripe age  of 65. Probably, those  who had been  going through my memories  might have  noticed that  I had  my good days and bad  days in my service.  I had certainly setbacks , but by God’s grace I could face them with equanimity and keep  my head straight  throughout my career. Before I   wind up these  episodes in the  next one, I have  to place on  record the last stab  in the  back from the  administration.

I had  almost six months before  superannuation. The  incumbent   director’s term was  coming to an end soon. Even though he was trying   his best to get re-appointment, it seems he was not successful at that and so had to hand over charge to  the senior most professor in the  institution before leaving. As the  appointment of the  new director cannot be done overnight, it would take  anything from four to six months before the  new  director  takes over. Further, some new  conditions like  the  applicant should be a graduate  or post graduate   in engineering were being stipulated. Because  of this condition,  the likelihood  of the  incumbent director who was a professor of physics, getting another term was least likely.

During the previous  few years, whenever  the director  was  on leave   or not available  in the campus, I was  officiating as  director in charge and naturally many of my colleagues and me thought I will be the director  in charge  till the  new director  is appointed  or I superannuate whichever is earlier. However, what  the  outgoing director  thought was different. He was   not ready to hand over charge  to me as  I am known to be a person who plays my games straight with no ulterior motive.  He started exploring  methods how  to avoid giving charge to me. Probably he had  discussed the matter with his close advisers and together  they found out a way  by which   I lost my seniority on a particular day to another professor  who incidentally was the  Dean Planning & Development at that time. He was known to be  his ‘yours truly’  for all  activities involving huge expenditure  for building construction.  It seems this  gentleman particularly  was helpful and obliging for cooking up some files  when there was a sudden inspection of CBI  in the college. CBI wanted certain files to be delivered to them within 24 hours. He was  called from  his residence  in the  city  to come  over to the  campus and ‘prepare’ the  files to be  handed  over to CBI. This  gentleman became  senior to me overnight ignoring my long-standing seniority.

This  gentleman became  professor 8 months after my becoming a professor in a temporary leave vacancy. Even though both of us were almost of the  same age, he had joined REC  only in 1971 whereas  I had joined  in 1969. As I had already indicated  in an earlier episode, both  of us appeared for interview  for the post of professor in 1987 and  I was  ranked  for Professor (Instrumentation & Control Systems – PG)  and Professor  (Electrical Engineering-EE) and he  was ranked  in the list for Professor (Electronics Engineering-ECE). However, the posts  of EE and ECE  could  be  filled only by the beginning of next academic year. However, the  post  of Professor (PG)  was  a leave vacancy and I was appointed against that vacancy on 17-9-1987 while  the  other gentleman continued as  Assistant Professor  till 1-6-1988 when  both of us  were appointed against  permanent  vacancies.  Obviously, as  I was appointed as  professor  eight months  before  him, my seniority  was  established beyond doubt as I became  professor  earlier. But, the  director  took a stand  that as  both were   posted against permanent vacancies   on the  same  day  by the  same selection, he  is senior as his rank in the selection (EC) was  better  than my rank in EE. I wrote  a  letter  to the  Ministry  of Human Resources Development  pointing out this, however, the  staff in the  personnel department  being regularly entertained by the incumbent director whenever he visits Delhi, did not even bother to send me a reply. I had seen  accidentally once how the  computer bills at the Ashoka hotel bar  was being presented  for reimbursement as   item under  ‘entertaining guests’ which is  not auditable.

As  I had  less than 6 months  to superannuate , I did  not bother  to go to the  court as decisions  on such service matters  being a  civil case  will take years  to settle. Probably, they were also certain that  I will not go to the court for this purpose. I remember  the words  of the  incumbent director once he made about  some other  incident. Things  happen in high circles is  as per the  saying “  I scratch your back, you scratch my back”   manner. Naturally he  obliged   the  person who helped  him as Dean (P&D)  for whatever  he wanted  to do.  f course, I was also not very keen to   be  the in charge as  with limited  powers as  in charge I would be able  to do nothing  to set right  several things pending to be done. I decided   to forego a few  hundred  bucks as allowance  for  director  in charge and status  obtained by virtue  of it. As a token  protest, I did not attend any official  meeting  called by the  in-charge-director  till my superannuation. Comfortably and quietly, I returned to my department and leisurely prepared  for my superannuation on 30^th April  2011.