RU staff protests over alleged transfer of land of Maharani, Maharaja College to JDA, JMC

Jaipur: Teachers and retired staff of Rajasthan University staged a protest on the campus Thursday against the state govt's alleged ownership transfer of the university's constituent colleges—Maharani College and Maharaja College—to Jaipur Municipal Corporation and the Jaipur Development Authority.The demonstration was held at the main gate of the university campus, where faculty members, pensioners, and non-teaching staff participated. Protesters said the decision was taken "secretly" and without consultation, and warned that it would undermine the university's autonomy and control over its assets.
The protest was organised under the leadership of Prof HS Sharma, president of University Pensioners Association.Naveen Sharma, pesident of Rajasthan University Teachers' Association, said, "The transfer amounts to a direct attack on the institution's rights and properties."Professors at the Rajasthan University also wrote to the syndicate members and Governor Haribhau Bagde, seeking intervention in this case. In June last year, 48 bighas of Maharaja College and 29 bighas of Maharani College were transferred to JDA and JMC.Bhupendra Singh Shekhawat, former public relations officer of Rajasthan University, who wrote to the Governor and Vice-Chancellor of the university, said, "In the current scenario, it became necessary for a high court judge to investigate this issue, as the land is worth thousands of crore and holds heritage value as two premier higher education institutes of the state. I request the Governor to direct a judge of the Rajasthan High Court to investigate this entire serious land scam."