Court tells VTU VC to clear air on fiasco

BANGALORE: The High Court on Monday directed the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belgaum, Vice-Chancellor Dr H Maheshappa to file an affidavit to clear confusions over his marks and other allegations against him.Nanjunda Reddy, a senior counsel who appeared on behalf of Maheshappa, in his submission, stated that the VC had scored first class marks, but it had been misinformed by the University of Mysore. He said Malleshappa had failed in his semester exams in March 1982 and his total percentage was then 59.8.However, in the supplementary examination in the same year, he secured 62.92 percent. “If the marks of the supplementary exams in which he obtained higher marks and the result of the tenth semester are included, he gets above sixty percent of marks. If the failed marks are included, it is a second class but he secured first class in over all BE degree,” he claimed.The division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna directed the Vice Chancellor to clarify the confusion pertaining to his marks and the procedure adopted by the VTU in selection of Vice Chancellor.The court also questioned Maheshappa’s affidavit in which he had stated that the biodata submitted to the selection panel was by mistake. The court has also directed the petitioner to inform it about the criteria to declare class. J H Anil Kumar, a resident of Bangalore, had moved the court challenging the appointment of Maheshappa as the VTU VC.