BENGALURU: The state government has nullified the decision taken in 2016 by the University of Mysore Syndicate to send one professor on compulsory retirement and directed the varsity to allow the professor to work again. In September last year, the Syndicate decided to send B Shivraj, a professor at Bahaddur Institute of Management Studies, on compulsory retirement alleging that he was collecting Rs150 from every MBA student to provide better infrastructure.
The Higher Education Department, which had issued a notice on April 2017 seeking an explanation from UoM registrar about the matter, had found the reply unsatisfactory. Since the Syndicate decision was also against the Karnataka State Universities Act (2000), the government issued an order nullifying the decision against Shivraj.
The copy of the government order, available with Express, reads: “The Syndicate’s decision is against natural justice and also biased. Considering this, as per the Karnataka State Universities Act 2000, here it is issuing an order directing the university to take back Prof Shivraj and the syndicate decision of that particular date is null and void.”
Shivraj said he was being targeted by the then university vice chancellor Prof K S Rangappa because Shivraj gave media statements against Rangappa’s son a few years ago. In 2006, Rangappa’s son was illegally admitted to molecular biology course at Yuvaraja College though he was not eligible for it. This issue was published in local newspapers in 2016. Then, Shivraj had conducted an inquiry into the issue, proving Rangappa and his son guilty.