Dharmaraj Adat Nominated to CU Senate’s V-C Search Panel

Swift Summary

• The Senate of the University of Calicut nominated Dharmaraj adat, former vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, for the search-and-selection committee to select a new Vice-Chancellor (V-C).
• The decision was made during a Senate meeting held on Saturday at the university campus in Tenhipalam, malappuram district.
• Candidates were proposed by different political alignments:

– United Democratic Front (UDF) suggested Achuth Sankar S. Nair.
– BJP aligned members proposed K. Muraleedharan.
– Pro-Left members proposed Mr. Adat and secured majority votes with 39 votes against UDF’s candidate (19 votes) and BJP’s nominee (5 votes).

• The selection committee consists of three members: one nominated by the Senate, one by the Chancellor, and another from the University Grants Commission (UGC).
• Current V-C P. Raveendran was appointed in July 2024 by the Chancellor but did not preside over Saturday’s meeting; senior member Kavumbayi Balakrishnan chaired instead.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The nomination process at Calicut University’s Senate demonstrates an active engagement across political alignments within institutional decisions affecting academia in India.While Mr. Adat’s selection as nominee represents a victory for pro-Left alignment due to majority voting, such processes also reflect broader dynamics between ideological groups vying for influence over university governance-a pattern familiar across Indian educational institutions.

The multi-member composition for selecting top leadership ensures diverse viewpoints are taken into account through representations from both university stakeholders and regulatory bodies like UGC and state authorities (Chancellors),fostering checks-and-balances in decision-making processes critical to academia’s independence.

This particular development underscores how collaborative or competitive politics within institutions can ultimately affect leadership appointments that have long-term implications on institutional policies and priorities-not just locally but within India’s broader higher education landscape.

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