Dharamshala, Oct. 12 -- The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has put on hold an order issued by the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) Chancellor, assigning the duties of the Vice Chancellor during his foreign tour to the dean of studies, BK Shivram, and registrar Jyoti Rana, instead of Pro Vice Chancellor Rajinder Verma. Justice Sandeep Sharma passed the interim order while hearing a petition filed by Verma. The October 9 order was made available on Sunday. The court noted that Verma was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor for a three-year term through an order dated June 3, 2023, and assumed charge on June 7, 2023. It observed that he continued to hold the office as no successor had been appointed, in view of the proviso to Section 12-D(2) of the HP University Act. The court also noted that the university was not adhering to notifications issued on June 7, 2023, requiring matters to be routed through the Pro Vice Chancellor before being placed before the Vice Chancellor. Observing that the Act did not bar a Pro Vice Chancellor who continued to hold office from performing the duties of the post, the court held that the Pro Vice Chancellor's duties could not have been assigned to Shivram and Rana under Section 12-D(2) of the Act. The next hearing is on November 4....