Dr. (Mrs) Swarga Jyoti Das of Regional Dental College submitted an appeal before the State Information Commission on 12.1.2007 stating that she was not satisfied with the information furnished by the State Public Information Officer, Regional Dental College, Guwahati vide his letter dated 15.11.2006. She furnished a copy of the petition submitted before the SPIO, Regional Dental College along with the reply received by her from the SPIO, Regional Dental College. In her appeal she stated that she requested the First Appellate Authority, Regional Dental College to redress her grievances but the reply she received from the First Appellate Authority was also not satisfactory. Hence she had preferred this appeal before the Assam State Information Commission.

Submission of the parties

The appellant submitted that the Principal, Regional Dental College did not take any step to redress her grievances of not getting pay as Professor since April 2006 and instead the Principal Regional Dental College instructed the Kamrup Treasury to stop payment of salary to her inspite of pay slip issued to her by the Accountant General, Assam. She further stated that she should have been promoted against the post held by Vice Principal, Regional Dental College as the post of Vice Principal is a separate post. She also stated that there was no vacant post of professor in the Regional Dental College and she should be allowed to draw her salary against the vacant post.

The Principal, Regional Dental College agreed that the posts of Principal and vice Principal are separately created posts. But the present Vice Principal is a Professor of Periodontics and the post of Professor which had fallen vacant by promotion of Dr. Upadhyaya to the post of Vice Principal was filled up by Dr. A.C. Bhuyan as the said post was a Professor of Dentistry. The post held by Dr. Upadhyaya was a Professor of Dentistry and not a Professor of Periodontics and as such the said post of Professor of Dentistry which has fallen vacant on promotion of Dr. Upadhyaya as a Vice Principal, Regional Dental College was filled up by Dr. A. C. Bhuyan. Dr. A.C. Bhuyan was promoted in February 1999. The post of Professor of Dentistry to which Dr. A. C. Bhuyan was promoted in February 1999 was subsequently redesignated as professor of Conservative Dentistry in 2001. He further stated that Dr. Upadhyaya’s presently designation is Vice Principal and Head of the Department of Periodontics including Community Dentistry and Dental Anatomy. However, there was a post of Professor of Dentistry in Guwahati Medical College which was kept in abeyance in 1985 which could be revived to accommodate Dr. S.J. Das with effect from the date of her promotion as Professor (April, 2006). He has already submitted a proposal to the Government for creation of a post for accommodation of Dr. S.J. Das with effect from April, 2006. He further clarified that one post of Professor was transferred to Silchar Medical College by the State Government and as such no post of Professor is vacant at present.

Decision of the Commission

The Commission examined the papers produced by the Principal, Regional Dental College as well as by Dr. S.J. Das. It was found that the Government created a separate post of Vice Principal for accommodating Dr. V. Upadhyaya and that there is no post of Head of Department of Periodontics in Regional Dental College although Dr. Upadhyaya has been shown as such. However, the Commission ordered that the Principal Regional Dental College should submit a fresh proposal to the Government of Assam for reviving the post of Professor of Dentistry of Guwahati Medical College to accommodate Dr. S. J. Das as Professor of Periodontics, Regional Dental College as she was promoted by the Government of Assam on 26th April, 2006 and she has been working as Professor in Regional Dental College without getting salary since April 2006. The Principal Regional Dental College should furnish a copy of the proposal to the appellant for her information. The appeal is disposed off with this order.