THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC), a whistleblower’s group, has alleged major irregularities in the selection of PhD research students at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady.
According to SUCC, UGC norms for selection of research students were flouted in the case of nine research candidates in Malayalam department. The students who scored second, third and fourth ranks in the entrance examination were ranked 15, nine and 36, respectively.
The spouse of a former Congress MLA who scored eighth rank in the entrance exam was ranked 17th after the interview, SUCC claimed. According to UGC norms, the final rank list of students should be prepared after considering 70% of the marks scored in the entrance exam and 30% in the interview. “However, the marks of entrance exam were totally ignored by the interview board, leading to many students ranked high in the entrance exam being sidelined,” the whistleblower’s group said.
SUCC alleged that the university academic council’s decision to strictly follow the UGC norms was sidelined to facilitate nepotism. SUCC has petitioned Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the chancellor of the university, urging him to direct the vice-chancellor to carry out the selection process as per UGC norms.