Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Thursday appointed Dr Vidyashankar S the vice-chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological College (VTU), Belagavi, for a interval of three years.
Vidyashankar was the vice-chancellor of Karnataka State Open College, Mysuru, and was among the many three candidates shortlisted by a search committee constituted by VTU to switch Dr Karisidappa, who was relieved of his cost as VTU VC on September 23. Anand Deshpande and Gopal Mugeray had been the 2 different shortlisted candidates.
Controversy has marred the VC choice course of with former VCs, academicians and critics accusing the college of ‘favouritism’ and alleging that every one three candidates had been going through prison fees.
Vidyashankar, who’s going through a number of prison fees together with malpractice and voluntarily inflicting harm by harmful weapons, dismissed them as mere allegations. “Enable the regulation to take its course and the honourable excessive court docket to provoke an inquiry towards me. I’m able to face the inquiry and if the decision shouldn’t be in favour of me, I’ll enchantment to a two-judge bench. If I don’t get justice there, I’ll struggle my case within the Supreme Court docket,” he mentioned.
In a writ petition filed within the Karnataka Excessive Court docket, orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ok Mahadev, a member of the planning, monitoring and analysis board of the College of Mysore, has alleged that Vidyashankar allowed college students to repeat en masse throughout the examinations performed by the Vishveshwaraiah Institute of Know-how.
Mahadev additionally alleged that as VC of Karnataka State Open College, Vidyashankar illegally indulged within the development of three regional centres at Magadi, Mangaluru and Dharwad, other than a number of excessive colleges, “costing almost Rs 100 crore, along with an present 21 regional centres, utilizing the college funds”.
Vidyashankar has additionally been charged beneath sections 324, 325, 504, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code for voluntarily inflicting harm by harmful weapons after he allegedly attacked Pradeep Giri, assistant registrar, examination, KSOU for coming late to the campus. Subsequently, Giri filed a police grievance and an FIR (a duplicate of which is out there with indianexpress.com) was registered at Jayalakshmipuram police station on August 2. The case continues to be beneath investigation. The college on Wednesday reinstated Giri, who had been suspended, simply forward of the run-up to the VTU VC choice.
Mahadev has alleged that Vidyashankar misused his place as VC by asking a girl worker on the varsity to ship him selfies. In his writ petition, he has additionally alleged that Vidyashankar, “along with the present workers of 80 school and 598 non-teaching workers of KSOU, has appointed 55 instructing and 93 non-teaching workers on a contract foundation, other than promoting 7 posts of professors and 25 posts of affiliate professors which is in violation of the standing orders of the governor and the state authorities”.