UGC selection process faces PIL hurdle

Two PILs have been admitted by the Delhi High Court,challenging the selection process for both posts.

The appointment process for the Chairman and Vice-Chairmans positions at the countrys top higher education regulator the University Grants Commission (UGC) has now run into litigation.

Two PILs have been admitted by the Delhi High Court,challenging the selection process for both posts. While one accuses the Union Human Resource Development Ministry of colluding with a particular candidate,another argues that candidates being considered for the UGC top job are either ineligible or inefficient.

The search-cum-selection committee formed by the HRD Ministry to appoint the Chairman had shortlisted two candidates Prof Pankaj Chandra,Director IIM-Bangalore and Prof Seyed Hasnain,former Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad University. While the Kapil Sibal-led ministry indicated Chandras suitability for the job,the Cabiinets Appointments Committee sending the names back with queries has delayed the selection process.

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On the other hand,the selection process for the Vice-Chairman is still on.

One of the PILs has been filed by a professor from Bangalore University,who was also in the fray for the UGC Chairmans job. It says that while there were allegations of irregularities against Prof Hasnain,Prof Chandra is incompetent for the position. Instead,the petitioner says,he is better qualified for the UGC Chairmans position than Hasnain or Chandra.

Serious allegations have also been made in the PIL challenging the UGC Vice-Chairmans selection process. This PIL alleges that the HRD Ministry is hand-in-glove with a particular candidate to ensure his selection and has tweaked vacancy advertisements and the constitution of the selection committee accordingly. It has also questioned the legality of the current Vice-Chairmans tenure.

The Delhi High Court has asked the HRD Ministry to share with it the progress made by the search-cum-selection committee.

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With the selection process for the top positions at UGC embroiled in these controversies,the HRD Ministry is staring at the possibility of UGC going headless. While the UGC Chairmans post has been vacant for quite a few months now,Vice-Chairman Prof Ved Prakash,who incidentally is the acting Chairman at present,completes his term on May 8.

The UGC Chairmans selection process,incidentally,has been fraught with controversies from the beginning. While candidates in fray resorted earlier to political canvassing of sorts,intense lobbying was on even at ACC level with MPs writing in support of one candidate.