Pointing to the alleged anomalies in appointments to search committees constituted to look for Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) of universities in Karnataka, the Forum of Former Vice-Chancellors of Karnataka State Universities has urged Governor Vajubhai R. Vala not to dilute these committees in future.
Voicing concern about the development, the former V-Cs have submitted a memorandum to the Governor on the alleged violations of the provisions of Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000 and anomalies in composition of search committees constituted for empanelling suitable candidates for appointment as V-Cs.
The forum has said that the provisions of Section 14 (2) of the KSU Act, 2000 was diluted when recently a working principal/dean of a college from Junagadh Agricultural University, Gujarat, was nominated as a member of the search committee for appointment of a V-C to one of the State universities.
Nominees
Section 14 (2) provides for appointment of a committee to identify a potential V-C, and the committee will have one nominee each from the government, University Grants Commission, university’s Syndicate, and Governor’s office.
Although Section 14 (3) of the Act does not lay down conditions for appointing to the search committees, the forum said that the nominees should be eminent academicians.
“This is the convention followed in our country as well as overseas. Nominating a person who does not possess eminence is against the healthy norms as such a nominee will not be able to do justice to the selection process of a V-C,” the memorandum said.
“Your office sometime back nominated a person from Gujarat, who was not even a professor, to the search committee constituted for the appointment of a V-C for Karnataka State Law University, while the other members on the search committee were former V-Cs,” the memorandum said.
It also said that the Chancellor’s (Governor’s) office recently nominated a former linguistics professor to be on the search committee of Kuvempu University. “This might once again create an impression that a retired professor is more distinguished and accomplished than a V-C. Certainly, Kuvempu University is not looking for a V-C with linguistics background,” it said.
They also pointed to the appointment of Guru Raj Karajagi, a retired professor, as Syndicate nominee (for the search committee) of Karnatak University, Dharwad, ignoring the availability of several renowned academicians, including former V-Cs with wealth of experience and expertise.
“We feel that it does not augur well if a retired professor of a college is made a member of the search committee mandated to select a few outstanding candidates for appointment as V-Cs.” The forum, however, clarified that it was not casting any aspersions on Dr. Karajagi.