Expressing concern that appointments to leadership positions in agricultural and allied universities are becoming vulnerable to political lobbying and monetary influence, about 40 prominent alumni of the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, have petitioned Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot seeking implementation of “forensic financial vetting system” and other measures to bring transparency in the selection of vice-chancellors for universities.

“There is an increasing concern that appointments to leadership positions in universities are becoming vulnerable to political lobbying, monetary influence, favouritism, and other extra-academic considerations that undermine merit, institutional credibility, and public trust,” said the petition, signed by T. N. Prakash Kammaradi, noted agri-economist and former chairman of Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission, and well-known environmentalist A.N. Yellappa Reddy, among others.

“If left unchecked, these factors risk reducing a sacred academic selection to an exercise in opaque manipulation that compromises the process at its very inception — specifically at the stage of the Search-cum-Selection Committee,” the petition said.

They suggested inclusion of a clause which would mandate that all proposed search committee members publicly disclose their qualifications and sign a legally binding declaration clearing them of any professional or personal association with applicants over the past five years. They also demanded that the government nominee in such a committee must be an eminent agricultural scientist of national standing from outside Karnataka, entirely free of local institutional or State government linkages.

They further suggested that a specialised investigative process must be instituted to audit the banking transactions of all shortlisted candidates, their spouses, and immediate dependents.

“This must include forensic scrutiny of any sudden liquidation or alienation of high-value moveable or immovable assets (including property, bullion, or high-value investments) executed within the 12 months preceding the selection process to detect and eliminate corrupt monetisation,” they said.

A confidential whistleblower mechanism may be established to enable reporting of credible information relating to lobbying, monetary influence, or other unethical practices connected with the selection process, they suggested.

Maintaining that the existing Universities of Agricultural Sciences Act was outdated and structurally unequipped to counter contemporary forms of institutional corruption, they demanded an immediate legislative amendment to take care of the lacunae.

They further suggested that the selection must have a strictly quantifiable evaluation matrix covering verified academic milestones, high-impact peer-reviewed publications, and farmer-oriented field innovations. “Shortlisted candidates should place a vision document before students, faculty, and farmers, outlining how they propose to strengthen the institution academically, administratively, and socially, while making it more vibrant, credible, and responsive to the needs of agriculture and farming communities,” they said.

To ensure transparency, they demanded that after finalisation of the appointment, the committee’s proceedings, score sheets, and final recommendations must be preserved and made fully accessible under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Pointing out that the search committees to choose vice-chancellors of agricultural universities in Shivamogga and Dharwad have been formed, they demanded that those committees be reconstituted in conformity with the safeguards and principles outlined by them.

The others who signed the petition included C.L. Lakshmipathi Gowda, former deputy director general, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), H.V. Nanjappa, former dean (postgraduate) and registrar of UAS-B; V. Veerabhadraiah, former director of extension of UAS-B and former president of UAS-B Alumni Association, M.A. Shankar, former director of research of UAS-B, and K. Narayana Gowda, former director of extension of UAS-B.