Date:05/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/08/05/stories/2005080508040400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Thimappa to abide by court verdict

Staff Reporter

Nomination to syndicate: other vice-chancellors extend support to BU V-C

BANGALORE: With the issue of the controversial nomination of five persons with inadequate academic credentials to Bangalore University Syndicate pending before the Karnataka High Court, the University Vice-Chancellor, M.S. Thimmappa, has opted to abide by the court verdict.

Dr. Thimmappa had objected to the nominations, contending that the nominees were not eminent educationists as required by Section 28 (g) of the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000. By educationist, the Act implied persons involved in teaching, training, research and dissemination of knowledge.

Of the five nominees, C.R. Somasundar and A.P. Ranganath are advocates, while Sanjay M. Dhariwal is a charted accountant. Another nominee, K.A. Anand, is a member of the Renukamba Education Trust, Nelamangala. The fifth nominee, G. Krishna Singh has already served as academic council member and the Act specifies that no member can be re-nominated to academic bodies, according to Dr. Thimmappa.

Incidentally, the Vice-Chancellor had suggested the names of 18 nominees to the Government in October last year. They included eminent persons such as M.R. Srinivasan, former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission; K. Kasturirangan, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies; Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director, Biocon India; Vinod Vyasulu, former professor, IIM, Bangalore, and N. Jayaram, former Advocate General of the State.

However, the Government did not consider any of these names. Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor's tough stand on the nomination issue has received support from the Vice-Chancellors of other universities in the State.