New Delhi: Delhi University’s Ram Lal Anand College has removed scholar-activist G.N. Saibaba, who is serving a life term in the Nagpur Central Prison for alleged links with Maoists, from his post as an assistant professor at the college.According to a report in the Indian Express, college principal Rakesh Kumar Gupta, in a memorandum wrote, “The services of Dr. G N Saibaba, Assistant Professor, Ram Lal Anand College are terminated with immediate effect from the afternoon of March 31, 2021. Three months’ salary has been paid in his Savings Bank Account.”Saibaba had joined the college in 2003 and was suspended in 2014 when he was arrested by the Maharashtra police. Since his suspension, his wife and daughter have received half of his salary. “We will definitely challenge his termination in court. Our appeal is pending in the Bombay high court challenging his conviction and sentence. The matter is sub-judice. Yet they have taken this decision,” Saibaba’s wife Vasantha told the newspaper, adding that without monetary assistance, his family would face financial hardship.Vasantha also said that the family had received a showcause notice in 2019, but had asked for more time to consult Saibaba. “We have not even had a chance to meet him for the last year,” she told the national daily and said that the family was using Saibaba’s salary to pay off their loans. While Vasantha is a homemaker, her daughter is pursuing an MPhil from Jamia Millia Islamia.The family also told Hindustan Times that they had received several ‘arbitrary’ memorandum from the college. One such memorandum sent in September 2019 said, “The College has come to a conclusion that his (Saibaba’s) conduct was unbecoming of a teacher and that he was not fulfilling his obligation as a teacher. The college has arrived at the conclusion that appropriate action must be taken against Dr. Saibaba…”Also read: G.N. Saibaba to Go on Hunger Strike in Nagpur Prison to Protest Denial of Essentials“We have already challenged the conviction in the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay high court which is pending. What was the reason to terminate him in such a hurry during a pandemic? There have been cases in the past where people have been acquitted after being wrongly convicted,” she told Hindustan Times.However, DU’s Dean of Colleges Balaram Pani maintained that the college governing body had taken the call on the basis of existing rules. “The university has given the approval to the governing body decision which was taken because the said professor is under life imprisonment. This [the termination notice] is the rule. The governing body would have kept legal implications in mind and taken the decision accordingly. As far as an appeal to a higher court is concerned, we will see what the court says,” Pani said.Delhi University teacher Nandita Narain, who is affiliated with the Committee for the Defence and Release for Saibaba, said, “In the case of S.A.R. Geelani (who was convicted in connection with the parliament attack case), his services were suspended, not terminated. When he got exonerated, he was able to join work again.”If Saibaba’s conviction was to be overturned at some point, the college would abide by the court’s decision, a college official said.Delhi University Teachers’ Association President (DUTA) Rajib Ray also criticised the move by the college. “The final decision in the case is yet to come out considering the appeal. Therefore, the college and university administration should not have taken this decision,” Ray said.Saibaba, who has over 90% physical disabilities, was sentenced to life in 2017 by a sessions court in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district for Maoist links and engaging in activities amounting to “waging war against the country”. The court held Saibaba and others guilty under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
