Thiruvananthapuram: Governor Nikhil Kumar on Tuesday served a showcause notice on Mahatma Gandhi University Vice-Chancellor, A.V. George, seeking his explanation on serious allegations, including manipulation of his qualifications in the biodata submitted along with the applications for the VC post.
George has been given one week’s time to reply to the notice. The notice was issued on the basis of the report submitted by chief minister Oommen Chandy to the Governor who is also the Chancellor of the universities in the state.
The report, prepared by additional chief secretary K.M. Abraham, also said that the Vice-Chancellor did not have the qualification for being selected to the post and that he used the designation of the head of the department of the Environmental Sciences at Central University, Kasargod, to facilitate his selection as the VC, though he has not served as a faculty
there.
A. V. George as VC created two posts, assistant registrar and assistant comptroller of examinations, that are not statutory posts as per the MG University Act, 1985.
There were improprieties in sanctioning 77 off-campus centres without government approval. The report said his decision to fix his own salary should be considered as serious misappropriation on his part. He had fixed his salary as Rs 80,000 per month, including a special pay of Rs 5,000, in violation of norms as it was the prerogative of the Chancellor to fix the salaries of the VC.
The report has not recommended any action against the Vice-Chancellor. Sources said the Chancellor has the power to decide on any action based on the
report.
