Ex-VCs take Karnataka Government to court over 'political' appointments in Universities

More than 60 retired vice-chancellors of various public universities in Karnataka will take the state government to court, as a last resort to stop anomalies in the appointment of vice-chancellors.

The Forum of Former Vice Chancellors of Karnataka State Universities (FVCK) expressed disappointment with the way universities were being run, or rather being pushed around by political representatives in positions of power. They demanded total autonomy in the functioning of the universities, as the latter had self-governing bodies to maintain a democratic nature.

In a submission to the chancellor on Monday, forum members had listed violations of the provisions of Karnataka State University Act 2000, and pointed out to irregularities in the appointment members of the Search Committee (SC), which is constituted for empanelling suitable candidates for appointment as vice chancellors.

Citing three violations, they pointed out to the nomination of a committee member, who is a principal/dean of a college in Junagadh, for the appointment of one of the state universities. This was despite the act stipulating that no person connected with the affair of the state government or college/institution affiliated to the university, shall be nominated as a committee member.

Stressing eminence in academia as a requirement for appointing committee members, the forum noted that a retired professor was a syndicate nominee at Dharwad University, “ignoring several renowned academicians, including former vice chancellors with a wealth of experience and expertise”.
They also pointed out to the appointment of a former linguistic professor in the committee at Kuvempu University.

“A person from Gujarat, who was not even a professor was also nominated by the office of the governor to the search committee,” the forum alleged. The retired officials will send a reminder to the chancellor’s office before taking a legal recourse.