Meghalaya: Immediate removal of MLA as Mendipathar College chairman demanded

A joint petition has been submitted to Meghalaya Governor Chandrashekhar H. Vijayashankar by the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CMSO), the Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) of NEHU Tura campus, and social activist Cherian Momin, seeking the removal of Mendipathar MLA Marthon J. Sangma from the chairmanship of Mendipathar College’s Governing Body.

The petition, filed on Sunday, accuses Sangma of misusing his position, indulging in nepotism, violating statutory recruitment rules, and subverting educational governance. It alleges that the legislator appointed his daughter, Smt. Dingri D. Shira, as a part-time lecturer in the college without following due process, bypassing Governing Body approval, public advertisement, or clearance from the Directorate of Higher and Technical Education.

According to documents attached to the petition, the appointment was made through a plain-paper letter dated August 22, 2023, which carried no memo number or official authorisation. An RTI reply from the principal of Mendipathar College dated July 24, 2025, confirmed that no Governing Body resolution had authorised the appointment.

The petition further states that the MLA reconstituted the Governing Body in January 2024, retaining himself as president and nominating politically aligned individuals instead of neutral academic representatives. This, the organisations argue, amounted to politicisation of a publicly funded educational institution.

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Another serious charge highlighted in the petition relates to financial mismanagement. A communication from the State Bank of India reportedly suspended certain account operations of Mendipathar College due to conflicting instructions over authorised signatories, which the petitioners claimed demonstrated a collapse of governance.

The petitioners urged the Governor to order an impartial inquiry, suspend Sangma from the chairmanship of the Governing Body pending investigation, and reconstitute the body in line with statutory rules and University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations. They also sought restoration of financial accountability in the institution.

“This is not about politics; it is about safeguarding the sanctity of higher education governance,” the petition stated, invoking constitutional provisions under Articles 14 and 16, as well as guidelines under the National Education Policy 2020.

Marthon J. Sangma, who represents Mendipathar constituency in North Garo Hills, has not issued any public statement yet in response to the allegations.