UoM prof urges govt to quash his suspension order

B P Mahesh Chandra Guru, a professor of the University of Mysore (UoM), who has been kept under suspension, for publicly canvassing for the Congress and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, recently, has urged the government to quash the order, terming it to be illegal.

He has written a letter to the Chief Secretary, Karnataka State Election Monitoring Committee, and Principal Secretary for Higher Education, to quash the order, which he has termed as having a serious tendency of undermining the Freedom of Expression and social responsibility, which are the basic tenets of the Constitution.

“I had participated in a programme on ‘Save Democracy – Eradicate Communalism’, organised by Karnataka State Backward Communities Forum and Federation of Progressive Associations, in Mysuru on April 13 as a resource person. I called upon the people to save the civil society, democracy and Constitution. I consciously made this appeal as an intellectual and social activist in accordance with Article 19-1-A, which guarantees Freedom of Speech and Expression. The UoM issued a showcause notice on April 16 following a complaint filed by the election officer. I had replied that the newspaper reports and complaint were based on suspicion, conjectures and assumptions and, do not constitute proof beyond reasonable doubt. I had also stated that the above communications themselves do not constitute any material evidence against me pertaining to a case of misbehavior under Article 124 of the Constitution,” his letter states.

“The UoM has placed me under suspension on April 23, without examining the facts and obtaining the approval of the Syndicate, the highest disciplinary authority. The in-charge vice chancellor, a relative of BJP leader V Srinivas Prasad and RSS leader M Venkataram, has misused his powers to violate my fundamental right. It may be noted that C Basavaraju, the in-charge VC, had been dismissed since he was appointed illegally by then VC J Shashidhar Prasad. The matter is pending before the High Court for final judgment. It is a miracle that an illegal appointee occupied the coveted posts of Dean of Law, Registrar and in-charge VC, illegally. The Registrar has signed the suspension order without conscience and competent authority,” the letter states.