IGNOU V-C selection process faces delays amid many internal divisions

NEW DELHI: Amid influential pressures, the selection of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Vice-Chancellor (V-C) remains stalled, sources report.

According to the source, on June 20, an advertisement was published for selection of V-C with the last date of application being July 19, 2024.

After that, a search committee was formed with two nominees of the Board of Management of IGNOU, Prof Bharat Bhaskar, IIM Ahmedabad director and VC of Central University of South Bihar, Prof KN Singh, as the search committee members.

“The President of India, the Visitor of IGNOU, appoints the Chairman of the Search-cum-Selection Committee and this time former director of DRDO Satish Reddy was appointed. The selection committee met twice and 28 applicants were shortlisted,” the source divulged. IGNOU’s present acting V-C, Prof Uma Kanjilal, was also added to the list of shortlisted candidates.

On October 19 and October 20, both days, all selected candidates appeared before the search committee, as per reports.

It is mandatory for the search committee to submit the panel of finally selected candidates the same day before leaving the venue. Since there was no unanimity, panel was not submitted. According to sources, president nominee, Satish Reddy, has been recommending Vinay Kumar Pathak, V-C of Kanpur’s Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj (CSJM) University.

Pathak, who disappeared for three months, is under investigation by the Uttar Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force for serious financial irregularities. He was allegedly found to be holding charge of three universities simultaneous and faced allegations of seeking “commission” from a contractor to clear his dues and “misappropriation of funds”.

Vinay Kumar Pathak, V-C of Kanpur’s Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj (CSJM) is also the subject of a probe by the the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On October 29, 2023, the UP Police lodged an FIR against Pathak on charges of extortion, corruption and wrongful confinement. This was followed by the arrests of three of his alleged accomplices in connection with the charges.

Other two members of the committee have not agreed to his name hence there is no unanimity and the V-C post is in doldrums and reeking of political influence.

A senior faculty member at IGNOU, claiming anonymity, said that from the beginning, the criteria was clear and that preference would be given to candidates who have experience in distant education but that criteria is not being followed.

The Committee set an arbitrary criterion that eligible candidates must be no older than 64, which caused several candidates to narrowly miss out. The panel report is yet to be submitted, it is said. According to sources, a powerful cabinet minister is reportedly pushing strongly for one candidate.