Ram Lal Anand College terminates jailed professor G N Saibaba's service; wife to move court
New Delhi: Delhi University's Ram Lal Anand College has terminated the service of assistant professor G N Saibaba, who is currently serving life term in Nagpur Central Prison for alleged Maoist links.
According to a memorandum received by Saibaba's wife Vasantha on Thursday, his services have been terminated with immediate effect from the afternoon of March 31.
"The services of 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," said the memorandum undersigned by college principal Rakesh Kumar Gupta.
Gupta could not be reached for a comment even after several attempts.
Saibaba, an assistant professor of English, was suspended after his arrest by the Maharashtra Police in 2014. His wife and daughters were receiving half of his salary since the arrest.
Terming the latest development a "witch hunt", Saibaba's wife alleged that it was a "violation of employee's rights" and she would take the matter to court.
"Our appeal against his conviction is still pending in the Bombay High Court, how can they take such a decision. SAR Geelani (who was convicted in the Parliament attack case) is the best example. He was acquitted of all charges, he was never terminated. So why Saibaba's service being terminated? This is a violation of employee's rights," she argued.
Vasantha added that they have been receiving half his salary since the suspension. But now, with the termination, the family, which includes herself and their college-going daughter, will face financial difficulty, she said.
"We don't have any other option but to approach our lawyers, we will definitely challenge this decision in the court," she said.
DU Professor Nandita Narayan of the Committee for Defence and Release of G N Saibaba alleged that taking "precipitative action like termination" was highly condemnable while the legal process was on.
"The Staff Association of RLA College and DUTA had warned the authorities against taking any such step. Moreover, the University had itself written to the College in 2019, citing legal opinion, that show cause notice should be issued again.
"To our utter shock, the University short-circuited its own process and terminated his services without even waiting for his reply," she said.
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
