Karnataka government breaks its own law on VC search panel

The latest violation pertains to the nomination of Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor to the search committee that will decide who will head Tumkur University

The state government continues to violate its own laws when it comes to sending nominees to panels that pick the vice-chancellors of public universities.

The latest violation pertains to the nomination of Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor Prof K R Venugopal to the search committee that will decide who will head Tumkur University.

Sources in the higher education department said the file had been sent to the Raj Bhavan for the governor to appoint his nominee to the search panel.

"Nominees of the government, the UGC and the syndicate have been appointed. We have sent the file to the governor to appoint his nominee. Once that is completed, we will issue a notification," said an official.

The Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000, clearly prohibits the nomination of any person connected with the affairs of the government to search committees that pick the vice-chancellors of state-run varsities.

A retired IAS officer who served as principal secretary of higher education said: "Section 14 of subsection 3 of the KSU Act, 2000, prohibits appointing persons attached with the government in any way to the committees constituted for the selecting new V-Cs of state universities."

Even during the selection of vice-chancellors of Bengaluru North University and Gulbarga University, the government had nominated sitting V-Cs to the search panels.

Prof K S Rangappa, president of the Forum of Former Vice-Chancellors of Karnataka, said: "Though the act clearly restricts the appointment of current V-Cs to search committees, the government keeps violating it. There is a pool of former V-Cs. Let the government choose the best from them, whether they are from the state or outside,” he said.

According to experts, appointing those under the control of the government will, in no way, do justice to the selection process.

“The selection of V-Cs itself is seen as non-transparent and corrupt. Everything starts with the person nominated by the government to be the chairman of the search panel. If the person is in no way connected to the government, there would be a lower chance of him/her yielding to outside pressure,” another former vice-chancellor said.

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