KOCHI: Following the exit of the MG University vice-chancellor Dr Babu Sebastian in the wake of the adverse High Court order over his ineligibility to hold the post of the VC, the spotlight has now fallen on Calicut University vice-chancellor K. Mohammed Basheer with the Left leaning Syndicate members planning to approach the High Court challenging his eligibility to hold the post of VC. He has no experience in a university department as professor. According to clause 7.3.0 of the UGC Regulation "Persons of the highest level of competence, integrity, morals and institutional commitment are to be appointed as vice-chancellors.
The vice-chancellor to be appointed should be a distinguished academician with minimum of 10 years of experience as professor in a university system or 10 years of experience in an equivalent position in a reputed research and/or academic administrative organization." The High Court cited this while striking down the appointment of Dr Babu Sebastian who was not a university professor.
Calicut university sources said that MEASS College, Areekkode, Malappuram, the college where Mohammed Basheer served as faculty first and principal later was a self-financing college first and it became an aided college later.
The only academic administrative experience he can claim could be the post of registrar he held in Kerala University for nearly two years. "The principal post in an aided college is never regarded equivalent to a university professor," said a university professor here. The search committee for selecting Mohammed Basheer is also under a cloud in the light of the verdict in the case of Dr Babu Sebastian. One of the search committee members in his case was an employee in a college under the university. He was a nominee of the Muslim League in the Syndicate as well like Benny Behnan in MGU Syndicate. Meanwhile it is learnt that Dr Babu Sebastian is approaching the Supreme Court against the verdict of the High Court and is in Delhi for the purpose.
