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Familiar names do the rounds for Lucknow University vice chancellor’s post
Following Prof Alok Kumar Rai’s departure, Prof Manuka Khanna was entrusted with the additional charge of vice chancellor for a period not exceeding six months or until a regular appointment is made, whichever is earlier.
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Among several applicants, five were understood to have made it to the interview round for selection to the Lucknow University vice chancellor’s post, which fell vacant after Prof Alok Kumar Rai was appointed director at Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta in July this year.
They include the familiar faces whose names have been in circulation for the post for some time. No new names were shortlisted and interviewed by the Raj Bhavan-constituted screening committee, according to people familiar with the matter.
The announcement is delayed because governor and chancellor Anandiben Patel is out of town and it is now expected to be made later this month, officials said.
“The governor is on way to Lucknow from Udaipur. Once she arrives, there will be some clarity. I am not privy to the selection process,” said Sudhir Mahadeo Bobde, additional chief secretary to the governor.
Raj Bhavan officials did not disclose how many candidates applied for the post.
Those in the race include Prof Vinay Kumar Pathak, Prof Rajesh Kumar Singh, Saroj Sharma, Prof Jai Prakash Saini and Anil Kumar Rai.
Pathak is the vice chancellor of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSJMU), Kanpur. He is a former VC of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), Lucknow. He was appointed VC of CSJMU for a second term in July 2024 and his term ends in July 2027.
His candidature is shadowed by controversy. In 2022-23, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a graft case against him. He was questioned by the special task force (STF) in connection with the matter. Though he was never arrested, the episode could weigh against his selection.
Prof Rajesh Kumar Singh is former vice chancellor of Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University. Appointed in September 2020, his tenure witnessed protests towards the end from the RSS-backed student organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He was succeeded by Prof Poonam Tandon after completing his term.
Saroj Sharma is former chairperson of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). In October 2024, she was removed from the post by the Union ministry of education after being booked by Delhi Police in connection with the suicide of her staff driver. In the suicide note, the driver accused Sharma of harassment, mental agony and using casteist slurs. Following the incident, Sharma was repatriated to her parent institution, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.
Another contender Prof Jai Prakash Saini is the vice-chancellor of Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (MMMUT), Gorakhpur, He assumed charge in September 2023. Prior to this, Prof Saini served as vice-chancellor of Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), New Delhi, for five years and also held additional charge as VC of Delhi Technological University (DTU) for two years.
Then there is Anil Kumar Rai, the current vice-chancellor of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Shekhawati University, Sikar (Rajasthan). He earlier served as pro vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, Bihar.
Following Prof Alok Kumar Rai’s departure, Prof Manuka Khanna was entrusted with the additional charge of vice chancellor for a period not exceeding six months or until a regular appointment is made, whichever is earlier.
