BANGALORE, June 9: The Karnataka Government has recommended conduct of inquiry against the Bangalore University Vice Chancellor Prof N R Shetty.P S S Thomas, Commissioner for Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA), has been tentatively named to hold the inquiry. The recommendations for inquiry comes close on the heels of an inquiry against the Mysore University Vice-Chancellor, Prof M Madaiah.The recommendation has been sent by the Higher Education Minister, B Somashekhar to the Governor and Chancellor of the University, Khurshed Alam Khan. The government had received five reminders from the Chancellor's Office seeking comments on the charges.The Governor's secretariat is likely to issue the notification of inquiry shortly. The government made the recommendations exercising its powers under section eight of the Karnataka State Universities Act, 1976.The recommendations followed two separate petitions from the former Bangalore University Registrar (Academic), B R Jayaramaraj Urs, and the Bangalore University Senate Voters' Forum President, L Vasudeva Murthy. Both the petitioners had accused the Vice-Chancellor of committing several acts of administrative indiscipline and irregularities.The Government action, however, is being seen as a culmination of fight between the Higher Education Minister and the Vice-Chancellor that ensued after the Minister ordered an inquiry into the his own alleged copying at the LLB examination in 1978.The file containing the charges and the comments from the education department was pending before the Higher Education Minister ever since the Governor referred it to the Government last year.The VC has been charged with creation of over 200 supernumerary posts without the government's sanction or from the Governor and without any statutes.The Vice-Chancellor faces the charge of making a large number of appointments on temporary basis to posts, not created or sanctioned by the Government. Payment of overtime-allowance to employees in violation of the government circular also figures as a charge.Though both the petitions listed 40 charges against the Vice Chancellor, some common, the Minister dismissed a few allegations as vague while pointing out that other charges needed to be looked into.Shetty however, said that he was open to for any sort of investigation.He told The Indian Express ``I have not taken any decision that would benefit a particular community or an individual or a group. I took certain decisions in order to ensure smooth administration though some of them may not be in accordance with the procedure that the Government expects the University to follow''.
