In a significant development, the Karnataka High Court, on Tuesday, September 12, invalidated the appointment of Prof. Lokanath N.K. as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore. The decision was rendered by Justice N.S. Sanjay Gowda, who ordered the quashing of Prof. Lokanath’s appointment, which had been made on March 23.
The court’s decision came in response to petitions filed by Professor Sharath Ananthamurthy from the School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, and G. Venkatesh Kumar, the retired head of the Department of Psychology, University of Mysore. Both Ananthamurthy and Kumar were contenders for the Vice-Chancellor position.
Ananthamurthy had initially applied for the Vice-Chancellor post on November 18, 2022. Subsequently, another applicant, Prof. H Rajashekar, approached the high court, contesting certain remarks made against his name in the primary list.
Addressing that petition, the High Court, on March 6, 2023, directed the concerned authorities to adhere to the rules while appointing the Vice-Chancellor.
Following this, the Search Committee presented a revised list of three candidates on March 16, which included Prof. Lokanath’s name. He was subsequently chosen for the Vice-Chancellor role on March 23.
The petitions alleged that the search-cum-selection committee, despite noting negative remarks against Prof. Lokanath during the candidate review, wrongfully incorporated his name in the recommended trio for the position.
The Governor, serving as the Chancellor of the Universities, acted on the committee’s recommendation and appointed Prof. Lokanath as the Vice-Chancellor on March 23, 2023. The petitioners contended that Prof. Lokanath was not qualified for consideration for the post.
In light of these developments, the court has directed the State government to initiate a new selection process for the Vice-Chancellor position. This involves the appointment of a search committee that will operate in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Karnataka State Universities Act.