Three of the five lecturers in sociology were recruited at the cost of better candidates sidestepping the restriction on fresh appointment of teachers to any public university by the UGC.

One of the appointees is a relative of the DU pro-vice chancellor and another is a 'political candidate', the sources said requesting anonymity.

A committee headed by Vice-Chancellor (VC) SMA Faiz selected the candidates.

The said relative of the pro-VC stood first class fourth in Bachelor of Social Science (BSS) and first class seventh in Master of Social Science (MSS), while the alleged activist of the ruling four-party alliance stood first class 13th in BSS and first class 10th in MSS. Another recruit achieved first class second in both BSS and MSS.

Sources claimed a candidate with better qualification and experience, Omar Faruque, was not recruited.

First class first both in BSS and MSS, Omar was awarded two gold medals by the DU authorities and is now a researcher at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and a guest lecturer at the Institute of Business Administration of the same university.

Two others, who were not recruited, are Mehedy Hasan, first class second both in BSS and MSS, and Farhana Kader Labanya, first class first in BSS and first class 10th in MSS and now a lecturer at the Institute of Education and Research of the DU.

Omar Faruque claimed that he ranked third if the recruitment process was transparent. He will go for legal steps against the DU authorities soon, he added.

Some DU teachers said the VC headed the selection committee to recruit the pro-VC's relative in a break with university regulations that say the pro-VC will head the selection committee to recruit lecturers and assistant professors and the VC the selection committee to recruit professors.

Chairman of sociology department Prof Qamrul Ahsan Chowdhury said: "We have recruited lecturers on the basis of merit and their viva voce performance and not in political or other considerations."

The VC said the university authorities did not violate any rule in recruiting lecturers of sociology.

Earlier, an assistant professor at the department was recruited reportedly ignoring candidates with better academic records. The professor, reportedly a four-party alliance adherent, has second class both in BSS and MSS, sources said.