BANGALORE: Bangalore University’s Academic Council, in a special meeting convened on Wednesday, has recommended the withdrawal of the PhD awarded to M Venkataramanappa, who allegedly plagiarised material from Registrar (Administration) B C Mylarappa’s book way back in 2002.The matter will now be placed before the Syndicate, and then before the Chancellor.In a recent order, the High Court had directed BU to conclude the proceedings of withdrawal of the PhD as per Section 70 of the Karnataka State Universities (KSU) Act, 2000.Most of the members were in favour of the court order, stating that there was very little for the Council to deliberate on the matter.“It is the responsibility of the university to follow the court’s order,” said one member.Another member added that the PhD should be withdrawn “in order to make it a deterrent for future research scholars.” Mylarappa, who was not a part of the meeting, later said that the withdrawal will not cause trouble to his professorship or the post of Registrar.“In fact, I had written to all the Academic Council members on Tuesday urging them to adhere to the court’s decree,” he said.Mylarappa, who was the second guide to Venkataramanappa’s thesis, alleged that this case was raked up to target him as he was taking a strong stand against the irregularities in the university.“The Court’s order is nearly three months old.Besides, there was a government order asking the PhD to be withdrawn last year itself.How can one explain the delay in enforcement of these orders?” he rhetorically questioned.‘Focus academic issues’Many members of the Academic Council were upset with the “lack of opportunities” for them to discuss issues that concerned academic standards of the university, especially with regard to the pending Local Inquiry Committees (LIC).H Karan Kumar, a member, said that he had visited five prestigious colleges as part of LICs.He said, “Four of these colleges have no permanent faculty in PG departments.In one college that offers three PG courses, there are three classrooms, with only three chairs in one of them,” he said.Karan Kumar further urged Vice-Chancellor Dr N Prabhu Dev to take up the pending LIC reports pertaining to the state of 11 B Ed colleges under BU.“With B Ed exams starting from Thursday, these colleges are not sure about their affiliation status,” he said.The VC assured members that the next meeting will have these matters on the agenda.
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