Thursday, January 07, 2010
Selection found not in keeping with KSU Act

• A query was raised under RTI Act
• Department admits no decision has been taken at IUB meet on appointment of Registrars

Bangalore: The controversy relating to the appointment of Registrars for Bangalore University, which had kicked up a furore in November 2009, refuses to die down. The Department of Higher Education, which had earlier found fault with Vice-Chancellor N. Prabhu Dev for reportedly defying the appointments and even preventing the newly appointed Registrars from assuming charge, has now claimed that the appointment of Registrar M.G. Krishnan was not in keeping with the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000.

Replying to a query submitted under the RTI Act, the Department of Higher Education has said that the appointment of Mr. Krishnan as Registrar (Academic) was not in keeping with Section 17 of the KSU Act. However, the appointment of M.S. Talwar as Registrar (Evaluation) has been found to be as per Section 18 of the KSU Act, according to a reply given by the Department. According to Section 17 (1) of the KSU Act, the State Government may appoint an officer belonging to the All India Services working in super time-scale to be the Registrar of a University.

Similarly, Section 18 (1) of the Act states that the State Government may appoint an officer of the KAS, not below the rank of a Group A senior scale or a senior faculty member of any university, to be Registrar (Evaluation).

While Mr. Talwar will make the grade as he is a faculty member of the university, Mr. Krishnan, who is a professor in the Department of Political Science in the university, does not fall into the category prescribed under the Act.

In reply to another query posed under the RTI Act, the Higher Education Department has admitted that no decision had been taken at the Inter University Board (IUB) meeting regarding the appointment of Registrars.

The Higher Education Department’s admissions fly in the face of the State Government’s claim that appointment of Registrars was the prerogative of the office of the Pro-Chancellor, who is also the Higher Education Minister.

The Minister for Higher Education Aravind Limbavalli had claimed that the Government, which was hitherto appointing IFS officers as Registrars in various universities, will henceforth choose from among the eminent academicians for the post.

He said a decision in this regard had been taken at the recent IUB meeting.

The Higher Education Department’s admission also comes as a source of embarrassment to the Minister for Higher Education.

The department has asked the university to send an action taken report on the matter.