Raid on MU vice chancellor reignites debate over selection process

The searches on Wednesday at the office and premises of Magadh University vice chancellor Rajendra Prasad, his subordinates and others in a corruption case has reignited the debate on the mechanism of selection of persons for the apex position in the state’s institutions of higher education

The searches on Wednesday at the office and premises of Magadh University vice chancellor Rajendra Prasad, his subordinates and others in a corruption case has reignited the debate on the mechanism of selection of persons for the apex position in the state’s institutions of higher education.

Raids were conducted at the office and premises of Magadh University vice chancellor Rajendra Prasad on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

It was the same issue that had reached the Supreme Court in 2013 during the term of late Devanand Konwar as Bihar’s Governor and later all the appointments of VCs were quashed. Governor is the ex officio chancellor of universities in the state.

The apex court had then called for a transparent mechanism involving short listing of candidates through a search committee and “meaningful and effective” consultation between the chancellor and the state government for appointment of VCs. The issue had led to face-off between the state government and the chancellor office and eventually led to the transfer of Konwar to Tripura.

However, not much has improved since then.

Referring to Wednesday’s searches, Bihar’s education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said such things earn Bihar a bad name. “Though the matter is beyond education department’s purview, the appointment and functioning of VCs should be transparent and only the deserving ones should be picked. At the top, one must appear to be clean and transparent,” he said.

“Therefore, the Chancellor should ask all the VCs and those officials dealing with university finance, including examination, to immediately declare their assets,” said Futab working president KB Sinha and general secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, an MLC.

Citing the usual practice of obtaining police verification reports before appointment to any high office, they said it seemed to have been given a go-by. “The VCs wield more powers than even a cabinet minister but unfortunately the power is not being used to improve academic and administrative environment,” they said.

Social analyst Prof NK Choudhary said both Raj Bhawan and the government would have to take the blame for continuous slide in higher education and selection of VCs with dubious record. “Premises of VC being raided was unheard of earlier. We are getting reports that huge cash has also been recovered. All this points to deep malaise and the factors that have led to such a situation need to be addressed forthwith. It means something seriously amiss and the authorities must get to the bottom of the matter, as exposing one may not be enough. There may be more black sheep and their patrons,” he said.

A number of VCs from MU, JPU, BRABU, Purnia University in the recent past has come under vigilance cases. Recently Prof. Jaiswal from PPU had to resign before completion of tenure, while the VC of VKSU was sent on forced leave after inquiry pointed to irregularities at their level. Several other VCs of NOU, TMBU and BNMU had to resign after a very short period of their selection.