Bhopal: Appointment of Kamlakar Singh as chairman of Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC) has come as a shocker to many. Several of them have even started criticizing the government’s decision to appoint a person with a checkered past.
Singh had joined Barkatullah University (BU) in 1985 as an assistant registrar but he first came in news because of his doctorate thesis that he completed two years later of his joining at the BU. There was complaint of plagiarism against the Singh. Not only this during his posting as VC Bhoj Open University, a case was registered against him and others for financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 35 crore.
The executive council of Barkatullah University decided to withdraw the PhD awarded to Kamlakar Singh, holding that 28 pages in two chapters of his thesis in Zoology were verbatim copy of the thesis of his guide, Dr S P Norton. Singh’s tenure as VC of Bhoj Open University too remained mired with controversy and a case was lodged against him with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) related to construction tender worth Rs 35 crore. Singh remained VC from 2005 till 2010.
Singh was suspended after EOW presented a challan in his case and remained so till 2018. A senior official requesting anonymity said that posting a person at a quasijudicial post with a checkered past is not in good taste. He was stripped of his PhD after it was found plagiarized. There’s also a case against him at the EOW, is that a qualification? ,asked the official. “Please have a look at the format for applying for VC at Governors website. It clearly mentions that the applicant should submit a declaration that no case is pending or ongoing against him in EOW or Lokayukta or any other court or institution,” said a senior academician. If such is the requirement for the post of VC then why not for chairman of AFRC, he asked.
A checkered past
