The Vigilance inquiry ordered against the previous syndicate of Mahatma Gandhi University and its officials by the governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, is the bottom line of the tussle between Vice-Chancellor Rajan Gurukkal and the new syndicate. The half-a-year-old brawl between the vice-chancellor and the syndicate was marked with several court cases, pandemonium at syndicate meetings and allegations.
The pro-UDF members allege that a raft of misappropriations, right from fund embezzlement to irregularities in recruitment were rampant in various posts of the university. Former university joint registrar and a pro-UDF syndicate member George Varghese, who filed a complaint with the governor, has pointed out over 10 such issues. He alleged that the fund misappropriations exceeded all bounds during the period of the previous pro-LDF syndicate. In his letter to the governor, George Varghese raised issues like fund misappropriation in the conduct of International Conference on Higher Education, implementation of the Choice-Based Credit and Semester System for Degree Courses. He also pointed out that the university syndicate at its meeting held on June 30, 2011, created 17 posts, including two posts of associate professor and three posts of assistant professor at IIRBS, without the government concurrence.
The pro-UDF syndicate members have also indirectly demanded the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor. “Vice-Chancellor Rajan Gurukkal had earlier said that he would resign from the post if he had to face a Vigilance probe. He should keep the word. It is not the government, but the governor himself who has initiated the probe,” said George Varghese.
However, Rajan Gurukkal dismissed all the allegations, terming them as politically motivated. “The auditing process of the university is on its course. It is a time-consuming process and the allegations will be proved wrong once the process is completed. The recruitments were done only on the basis of the reports of the selection committee,” said Gurukkal. He said that no manipulations were done during the term of the previous syndicate.
“The motive of those who raise these allegations is very clear. They want me step down from the post. The person who approached the Chancellor has a clear political aim,” the Vice-Chancellor said. He also dismissed the reports of a possible resignation and said that he would face the probe. ENS