Karnataka to probe ‘irregularities’ in appointment of billionaire Dayanand Pai in BMS Educational Trust
According to sources privy to the meeting between CM Siddaramaiah with Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar on the matter, the inquiry will be headed by a senior IAS officer.
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Earlier this year, the JDS also posted photos of former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai (extreme left), Narayan and BJP national general secretary BL Santosh meeting Pai (centre) over a meal and sought Modi’s intervention to eradicate corruption at all levels. The Karnataka government will form a panel headed by a senior IAS officer to probe the alleged irregularities in appointing billionaire Dayanand Pai as the life trustee of BMS Educational Trust.
A discussion regarding the same was briefly held by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar and other stakeholders on Thursday. According to sources privy to the meeting, an inquiry, headed by a senior IAS officer, has been ordered into the alleged irregularities in appointing Pai.
In February this year, the then BJP government passed the BMS University Act amid wide criticism from Opposition parties. Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former chief minister of Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy had earlier alleged corruption in the appointment of billionaire and realtor Pai as the life trustee of BMS Educational Trust and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in the issue. Kumaraswamy also demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter of ‘unjustifiably’ approving the amendment that ‘privatised’ the public trust.
Kumaraswamy, during his tenure as chief minister in 2018, had rejected a file seeking the approval of four amendments to the original trust deed, which he said went against the intent of the original deed.
The BMS Educational Trust runs the BMS College of Engineering, BMS Evening College of Engineering, BMS Institute of Technology, BMS College for Women and BMS Law College.
State Education Policy committee soon
During the meeting held with Siddaramaiah, Sudhakar also submitted the final list of appointees for the committee to draft the State Education Policy (SEP). Confirming this to The Indian Express, Sudhakar said, “Both school education and higher education departments have submitted the list of members for the committee to form SEP. The chief minister will review them and finally appoint the chairman for the committee. We will come out with the announcement soon.”
In August, the state government had given an in-principle nod to appoint a committee to frame Karnataka’s own education policy while doing away with the Centre’s National Education Policy (2020).
In a high-level meeting chaired by Siddaramaiah with writer Baraguru Ramachandrappa, School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Sudhakar and officials of the school and higher education department, it was decided to not disturb the existing education policy framework and to allow batches which have been following the National Education Policy (NEP) to complete their third year which will culminate in 2024.
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