Srinagar, July 31, KDC: A major faculty recruitment drive at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, has come under scrutiny over questions of institutional propriety and conflict-of-interest safeguards after Vice-Chancellor Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo’s daughter figured in the preliminary screening list for an Assistant Professor post during the final weeks of his non-renewable tenure.
According to documents available with news agency Kashmir Dot Com, the university launched the recruitment process for permanent faculty positions across 28 departments and specialised centres through Advertisement Notice No. 01 of 2026, issued on January 1. The notification states that appointments will be governed by the IUST Act, 2005, the university’s statutes and ordinances, Executive Council decisions and the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018.
The exercise has attracted attention largely because it is unfolding just weeks before Prof. Romshoo completes his maximum permissible five-year tenure. According to the IUST university records, Prof. Romshoo assumed office in August 2021 and was granted a two-year extension with effect from August 15, 2024. Under the Act, the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure can extend to a maximum of five years, making him ineligible for any further extension. His term is scheduled to end on August 14, 2026.
Questions have been raised from different quarters after IUST published the preliminary screening report for the post of Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics. The report lists candidate Form No. 5370104, Dr. Baseerat Ramshoo, daughter of the Vice-Chancellor, at Serial No. 67.
According to the screening report, she secured 87.73 points out of 100, including marks awarded for academic qualifications, research publications, teaching or post-doctoral experience and awards. The report declares her “Eligible” while noting that the marks awarded for her Ph.D. are provisional and subject to submission of an Equivalence Certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
University insiders told Kashmir Dot Com that the development raises concerns over institutional conflict-of-interest safeguards. They pointed out that under Schedule Statute 21 of the IUST Act, the Vice-Chancellor serves as the ex-officio Chairman of Selection Committees for faculty appointments.
Although no interviews have yet been scheduled for Physics, they argued that permitting a process in which the Vice-Chancellor’s immediate family member is a candidate runs contrary to the well-established legal principle of nemo judex in causa sua, which requires that no individual should participate in proceedings in which they have a personal interest.
The timing of the recruitment has also drawn attention after the university issued interview notices for other departments on July 15, scheduling interviews for July 20 and 21—less than a month before the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure concludes.
Responding to the concerns, IUST Registrar Prof. Shamim Ahmad Shah confirmed that recruitment interviews are underway and maintained that conducting selections during the final phase of a Vice-Chancellor’s tenure is fully permissible under the university’s governing statutes. Asked specifically about the Vice-Chancellor’s daughter’s candidature, Shah said he did not have the relevant candidate details at hand but added that any eligible candidate is entitled to apply through an open advertisement.
Assistant Registrar (Recruitment) Javaid Khan told Kashmir Dot Com that no Selection Committee has yet been constituted for the Department of Physics and that the recruitment remains at the preliminary screening stage.
“There is no selection process underway in Physics at present,” Khan said, adding that the Vice-Chancellor has no role in preliminary screening, which is conducted independently by a multi-member committee functioning under the Directorate of Internal Quality Assessment.
Khan said such an issue would arise only if the Vice-Chancellor were to chair a Selection Committee considering the candidature of a close relative.
“If the Physics selection process extends beyond August 14, the incoming Vice-Chancellor or another competent authority will chair the Selection Committee,” he said.
Defending the overall recruitment timeline, Khan said the advertisement was issued in January in line with Supreme Court directions encouraging higher educational institutions to fill long-pending faculty vacancies. He said the scrutiny process under UGC norms involves detailed evaluation of academic credentials and research publications, making it a time-consuming exercise. Suspending the process midway, he added, would delay appointments by several months.
On the provisional award of doctoral marks, Khan said UGC regulations permit provisional consideration in cases involving foreign Ph.D. degrees, subject to prescribed equivalence requirements, including exemptions applicable to certain globally ranked universities. He also said the university allowed virtual appearances for outstation candidates in interviews to facilitate wider participation.
A review of the IUST Act shows that while the Vice-Chancellor chairs Selection Committees, final appointments are made by the Executive Council. The Act does not prohibit recruitment during the closing phase of a Vice-Chancellor’s tenure. However, governance practices in higher education generally discourage outgoing Vice-Chancellors from undertaking major recruitment exercises or finalising long-term appointments immediately before demitting office in order to preserve institutional neutrality and avoid perceptions of tenure-end patronage.
Meanwhile, several faculty members and university insiders told Kashmir Dot Com that, given the questions surrounding the ongoing recruitment exercise, they believe the matter warrants the intervention of IUST Chancellor and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to ensure the selection process remains transparent and free from any perception of conflict of interest. They also sought an independent examination of the recruitment process, including whether appointments have been made strictly in accordance with the university’s statutory provisions and UGC regulations, so as to rule out any possibility of irregularities or backdoor appointments. (KDC)
