Search Committees to recommend names for VC of various Universities- mere formality as names already decided from Nagpur
Gustakhi Maaf, Haryana — by Pawan Kumar Bansal
The recent constitution of search committees to recommend candidates for the posts of Vice-Chancellors in various state universities of Haryana has raised eyebrows in administrative and academic circles. Critics allege that the exercise is little more than a procedural formality, claiming that the final names have already been decided behind closed doors.
An anecdote from the tenure of former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is once again doing the rounds, illustrating concerns about transparency and propriety in such appointments.
According to accounts from that period, the Chairman of a search committee recommended the name of an individual he had reportedly been specifically asked to endorse. Following his appointment as Vice-Chancellor of a university in the NCR region, the individual is said to have reciprocated by conferring an honorary doctorate of eminent media personality upon the same person who had played a role in recommending his name in his capacity as Chairman of the search committee. Credentials of that person as a media man were below average.
The episode has often been cited by observers as a classic example of quid pro quo in academic appointments. The beneficiary of the honorary degree, notably, has also been surrounded by controversy, further fueling debate over the integrity of such processes.
The resurfacing of this story has added to growing concerns about whether institutional mechanisms meant to ensure merit-based selection are being undermined by informal influence and pre-determined outcomes.