Himachal Pradesh: Youth Congress calls appointment of Rajeshwar Singh Chandel as Vice-Chancellor of Dr. YS Parmar University 'illegal', demands his resignation

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 4 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress (HPYC) President, Chhatter Singh Thakur, on Friday called the appointment of Rajeshwar Singh Chandel as Vice-Chancellor of Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry "unconstitutional and illegal", and demanded his resignation on moral grounds.
Addressing a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan in Shimla, Chhatter Singh Thakur alleged that Rajeshwar Singh Chandel was appointed as Vice-Chancellor on May 6, 2022, in clear violation of Section 24 of the University Act, which mandates the inclusion of the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in the selection committee--a condition not fulfilled in this case.
He cited that a similar "flawed" process for the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor at Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, was recently quashed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court in its decision on March 26, 2025.
"Since the appointment provisions in the Acts of both universities are identical, Dr. Chandel's appointment is also unconstitutional and illegal," the Youth Congress leader said.
HPYC State General Secretary Ranjeet Singh Verma, who was also present at the press meet, said that Chandel's tenure is set to end on May 8, 2025, yet the process for appointing a new Vice-Chancellor has not been initiated. He demanded that the state government immediately order a vigilance inquiry, ask Chandel to resign on moral grounds, or have him removed from the post by the Governor of Himachal Pradesh-cum-Chancellor of the University. He further called for the Vice-Chancellor position to be advertised and the appointment process completed in a time-bound and transparent manner.
Verma alleged financial and administrative irregularities during Chandel's tenure. He alleged that in 2022, a Kia Carnival vehicle worth Rs. 40 lakh was purchased for the Vice-Chancellor without approval from the state government's Finance Department.
The funds were drawn from the fees of students at Neri College, Hamirpur, who have been demanding buses and basic facilities. Additionally, Rs. 80 lakh was spent on renovating the residences of the Vice-Chancellor and the Director of Research, including Rs. 70 lakh on luxurious interiors and furniture for the Vice-Chancellor's residence, which has a base value of only Rs. 25 lakh.
Ranjeet Verma also raised the issue of Sanjeev Chauhan, the Director of Research, who was brought on deputation from Punjab Agricultural University. His deputation ended on August 2, 2024, and the administrative department issued orders to cancel it on August 3, 2024, yet he continues to hold the post.
The university has paid him and the Director of Extension Education, Inder Dev, Rs.1,67,29,106 from August 2022 to July 2024, an amount that has now exceeded Rs. 2 crore. This expenditure could have been avoided by assigning the charge to a senior professor.
He highlighted another "financial irregularity" where, on March 21, 2023, Rs. 8,72,539 was "paid to Dr. RB Kutch SPNF Producer Company in Gujarat based on a single quotation without proper documentation", violating the university's accounting manual. An additional Rs. 1,33,099 was paid for GST. He said the Local Audit Department has raised objections to this payment.
Chhatter Singh Thakur also alleged that Chandel organized a conference from December 19-21, 2022, sponsored by RSS-affiliated organizations, misusing university resources. Furthermore, during the previous BJP regime, as Joint Director of a state-run natural farming project, Dr. Chandel misrepresented data, claiming 1 lakh farmers were involved, whereas a current government investigation found only 10,000 farmers participated.
HPYC demanded a vigilance inquiry into all "irregularities" by Chandel, action against the guilty, and the temporary assignment of the Vice-Chancellor's charge to the senior-most professor until a regular appointment is made. HPYC announced it would soon submit a memorandum to the Governor and Chief Minister. (ANI)