Faculty to approach court against appointment of horticulture varsity VC

In yet another controversy over the appointment of vice-chancellors in the State, some members of the faculty at the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, have decided to move the court over the appointment of the new V-C to that varsity.

The State government recently appointed DL Maheshwar, director, department of horticulture, as vice-chancellor of the university.

But the Federation of Farm University Teachers’ Welfare Association of Karnataka has challenged the appointment on the grounds that Maheshwar has no experience of working in an academic set-up. Besides, the entire process was wrapped up in less than a week.

As per the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, a person appointed to the post should have at least 10-year experience of working in a university, research institute or an academic administrative organisation, a senior academician in the university told Deccan Herald. Maheshwar, however, does not qualify for the post even though he holds a PhD in horticulture, the academician added.

The V-C took charge last week. A member of the association said the search committee was constituted on June 23 and the order copy on the new V-C’s appointment was given in the last days of the Governor’s tenure.

The member further said they had collected order copies of similar cases in other states and they would soon file a petition before the court against the appointment.