For the record, this V-C isn’t a class apart

Sandeep Moudgal, Bangalore, Sep 26, DH News Service;

The 27-year-old career of Visveswaraya Technological University vice-chancellor Dr H Maheshappa may well be in jeopardy with official documents revealing that he submitted false information while applying forthe top job at one of Karnataka’s most reputed educational institutions.

Documents made public after a RTI applicant sought details, and which are in the possession of Deccan Herald, show that he furnished false information to the Governor’s office as a means to bolster his case for nomination in April this year to the post of vice-chancellor.

The trick played by him involved suppressing a crucial fact -- that he holds a second class degree in Bachelor of Engineering (BE). Maheshappa, willingly or otherwise, mentioned in his curriculum vitae, which was forwarded to Governor H R Bhardwaj’s office when the selection process was on for the VTU vice-chancellor’s post, that he held a first class degree in BE.

The falsification of educational records has led academics to suspect that not only was the selection process not straight, but there could have been bias shown in Maheshappa’s case.

A student of Davangere’s BDT Engineering college, which is affiliated to Mysore University, Maheshappa studied there from 1977 to 1982 in the Mechanical Engineering stream.

According to replies to specific questions asked by the RTI applicant, “H Maheshappa in the 64th convocation on February 16, 1984, was awarded a BE degree with a second class from the Mysore University and is yet to apply for his degree certificate to be procured from the University.”

Maheshappa later went on to become a lecturer at BIET College in Davengere soon after he graduated in 1983-84, securing only a second class. According to established rules of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a second class degree-holder in the Bachelor’s course is eligible for lectureship until he obtains a greater degree.

What has put Maheshappa in a spot is that in his CV he furnished false information that he provided research guidance to four PhD students, although VTU records show that since he joined the university, he has never been or given guidance to any doctoral student.

The university’s records related to Mahesappa’s appointment as vice-chancellor have raised questions about the university’s search committee as well as the Governor’s office for not verifying facts before his name was cleared for the top post.

This assumes a more critical dimension considering that there were 35 applicants for the vice-chancellor’s post and of these eight to ten candidates had more experience in academics and administration. Several efforts to reach Maheshappa for comments failed as Deccan Herald’s calls went unanswered.