Committee headed by retired judge to probe allegations against Kuvempu University VC and others

Allegations include corruption in recruitment of teaching staff and purchases

The State government has constituted a committee headed by a retired district judge to probe into the allegations of corruption and irregularities against Kuvempu University Vice Chancellor Prof. B.P. Veerabhadrappa and others.

The Department of Higher Education issued an order, on May 29, appointing the committee headed by Ravindranath H.B., retired district and sessions judge in Shivamogga. The Executive Director of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council and the Registrar (Administration) of Bengaluru City University are members of the committee. It has 20 days to complete the preliminary inquiry and submit its report.

The allegations

In March 2022, syndicate members of the university complained to the Governor of Karnataka, who is also chancellor of the university, that the university announced the results of students in the first and second years of degree courses and those in the first year of post-graduation courses in 2019 without conducting the examinations. The complainants made allegations against then Registrar and the Director of Distance Education Directorate as well.

Based on the complaints, the government ordered an inquiry by the Executive Director of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council. The committee submitted its report on October 14, 2022. As per the committee’s report, the State government instructed Kuvempu University to register an FIR with the police and also informed the Governor about the findings of the committee.

In response, the Governor’s office instructed the State Government to conduct a probe into the allegations of corruption it received against the Vice Chancellor Prof. B.P. Veerabhadrappa. The retired judge-headed committee has to look into allegations of corruption in purchases, promotions, appointments, and misleading the government by false reporting. Ballekere Santhosh, member of the syndicate, had made allegations of corruption against the VC and others. Besides that, Gajanana Das, a resident of Shivamogga, had alleged that an assistant professor was appointed even though he had no minimum eligibility for the post. There were allegations of corruption in appointing lecturers on a temporary basis as well.

The government has instructed Kuvempu University to make the necessary arrangements for the committee.