Controversy clouds the Christ (Deemed to be University) in Bengaluru after allegations of violations in the appointment of the new Vice-Chancellor (VC). The impending departure of the current VC, Father Abraham VM, and the appointment of his replacement, Father Joseph C, has raised concerns about inconsistencies in the appointment process, with claims that the institution's management, the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), may be violating the terms mandated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for VCs.
Fr Abraham was appointed as the VC on March 1, 2019 for a three-year term, and was granted a one-year extension in 2022. According to the UGC rules, “The VC shall hold the office for a term of five years from the date of assuming office and shall be eligible for reappointment for a second term,” which means that Fr Abraham holds the office until February 29, 2024. However, CMI asked Fr Abraham to end his term on February 28, 2023, and wanted Fr Joseph to take over.
In an internal communication to the Chancellor on February 27, Fr Abraham alleged that the appointment of his successor is in violation of norms and could pose a threat to the University. He wrote, “Such cases have been reported where the Supreme Court has declared such appointments null and void.”
The current VC pointed out alleged "inconsistencies'' in the appointment of the new VC. He stated that the "appointment of the Vice Chancellor is made in violation of UGC regulations and will not only jeopardise the interests of the university but also affect the position of the incoming Vice-Chancellor." The letter, which TNM has a copy of, says that a UGC member on the search cum selection committee insisted on the need for a public advertisement to invite applications for the position, which was not included in the signed minutes of the committee's meeting. The VC said that two members of the search cum selection committee didn’t concur with the requirement. “The UGC nominee member, after verbally confirming this stand with the Office of the UGC, declined to continue with the selection process.” Following this, the Registrar, Anil Pinto, has written to the UGC for guidance on the change of VC.
According to CMI, the obligation to issue a notification to invite applications for the position of VC did not apply to Christ University, which is considered a minority educational institution. According to sources, UGC has unofficially warned Christ that it would face repercussions. Also that the person nominated does not fill UGC’s criteria. Christ was given autonomy by the UGC in 2004 and declared a "deemed to be university" in 2008. It has four campuses in Bengaluru and two off-site campuses in Delhi NCR and Lavasa, Pune.