Model code of conduct: HRD Ministry appoints VCs of 3 universities after EC nod

The HRD Ministry on Thursday appointed vice chancellors to three universities after the Election Commission gave its nod as the Model Code of Conduct is in place due to the Lok Sabha elections.

The three universities are Jamia Millia Islamia, Mahatma Gandhi Central University in Motihari and Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Wardha.

"Najma Akhtar has been appointed as the VC of Jamia while names of Sanjiv Sharma and Rajaneesh Kumar Shukla have been approved for the top post at Motihari Central university and Wardha's Mahatma Gandhi varsity," a senior HRD ministry official said.

While no appointments are allowed during this period, the HRD Ministry had approached the Election Commission seeking its nod arguing that the selection process was complete before the model code came into place.

The top posts at Jamia and Motihari varsity fell vacant after their VCs came come under HRD's scanner over allegations of financial and administrative irregularities and forging the academic credentials respectively.

Akhar, who is the first woman to be appointed to the Vice Chancellor's post at Jamia Millia Islamia, succeeds Talat Ahmad who had resigned from the post last year to join as the head of Kashmir University.

While the President had ordered a visitorial enquiry against Ahmad on HRD Ministry's advice, it was closed after the probe failed to find substance in the allegations against him.

Sharma, who was a former Head of Department at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, succeeds Arvind Kumar Agarwal, who resigned in October last year from the post of the VC of the Bihar-based central university over allegations of fudging his academic credentials.

The HRD Ministry had forwarded his resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind, Visitor to the university, who had paved way for his exit. He then joined his parent department in the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala.

The ministry had received complaints that Agarwal lied about his education in a foreign institute to get the job. He did not pursue his Ph.D at a German institute as claimed, and actually got the degree from the University of Rajasthan, the complaint had said.

Shukla is a Member Secretary of Indian Council of Philosophical Research. He was a professor of Comparative Philosophy and Religion at Samapurnananda Sanskrit University.

Noted academician Girishwar Mihra held the top post at Wardha university before Shukla.