Enquiry sought into OU Dean’s appointment

P.L. Vishweshwer Rao and Kancha Ilaiah have questioned the appointment of V. Ravindra Shastry as the Dean of Social Sciences

Kancha Illaiah

Two senior academicians, P.L. Vishweshwer Rao and Kancha Ilaiah, have questioned the appointment of V. Ravindra Shastry as the Dean of Social Sciences, Osmania University, alleging that the university had ignored the seniority of K. Srinivasulu, a senior professor during the appointment.

Prof. Srinivasulu is senior not only as a professor, but also held administrative posts like the Head of the Department and Chairman, Board of Studies much before Prof. Shastry, they maintained.

List tampered with

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday along with Prof. M. Channa Basavaiah and Prof. Srinivasulu, they alleged that the seniority of Prof. Shastry was manipulated when T. Tirupati Rao, who was also from the Political Science Department, was the Vice-Chancellor. They alleged that Prof.

Tirupati Rao had deliberately tampered the seniority list and put his name on the top and Prof. Shastry’s name above Prof. Srinivasulu. “Interestingly, based on that list, Prof. Tirupati Rao worked as a Dean again after finishing his tenure as Vice-Chancellor,” they alleged.

Prof. Ilaiah sought an inquiry into the preparation of seniority list and action against Prof. Tirupati Rao. He also wanted to know how the present Vice-Chancellor S. Satyanarayana appointed Prof. Shastry despite a complaint already lodged with him by Prof. Srinivasulu. He alleged that the orders were issued after working hours and Prof. Shastry immediately took charge, thus indicating some sinister plans behind the appointment.

Prof. Vishweshwer Rao said that the appointment gains significance when recruitment was being done in the University for teaching positions. He said the Dean was an important academic functionary sitting in all the selection meetings, and wanted this angle also to be probed into.