Academician `fudges' papers, gets notice

A show-cause notice has been served to Chandra Krishnamurthy for fudging her academic credentials, on a directive by the President of India, visitor to Pondicherry University . A human resource development (HRD) ministry's fact-finding committee found that Krishnamurthy's claims, the books she authored, the students she guided and papers she penned, were far from the truth, which reflects poorly on the manner in which Maharashtra, where she was the vice-chancellor of SNDT and Mumbai universities, has been picking its varsity heads.

Krishnamurthy confirmed she had received the show-cause notice and would respond to it.

The committee revealed that she was dishonest about the three books she claimed to have authored. “In her application for the post of vicechancellor of Pondicherry University , she claimed she authored three books, whereas it has been established that merely one book, Legal Education in India, was authored by her, and that too is about 98% plagiarized,“ noted the notice. Five out of eight chapters are penned by others, it said. Her academic credentials were questioned by the Pondicherry University Teachers' Association (PUTA), which wrote to Union human resource development minister Smriti Irani, seeking her immediate removal and a probe into her achievement claims.

The notice (a copy of which is with TOI) stated, “The misdeedslapses consti ute misrepresentation gross misconduct, derelic ion of duties and lack of commitment on the part of he VC keeping in view the sensitive nature of the post of he VC held by her.“

Krishnamurthy , who was he VC of the city's women's university , SNDT, and in charge VC of Mumbai Uni versity , went on to join the central university in early 2013. In her CV, of the 25 publi cations she enlisted under her name, the committee ound only one in the open re pository and it was plagia rized to the extent of 75%.“No evidence is available of her guiding nine PhD students, as claimed by VC,“ the notice added.

There was also no evidence of the post she held before. While she should be a professor, the HRD's factfinding committee found “no evidence on record“ to authenticate that she had the title of professor before her appointment as VC of Pondicherry University .

Krishnamurthy has been told to “stay away“ as VC and respond to the notice.

Far From the Truth

·         What a HRD Ministry’s Fact Finding Committee Found

·         Krishnamurthy’s claims, the books she authored, the students she guided and papers she penned, were far from the truth

·         She was dishonest about the three books she claimed to have authored

·         It has been established that only one book; ‘Legal Education in India’ was authored by her, and that too was about 98% plagarized

·         Five out of eight chapters are penned by others

·         The misdeeds/lapses constitute misrepresentation, gross misconduct, dereliction of duties and lack of commitment on the part of the VC keeping in view the sensitive nature of the post of the VC held by her

Source | Times of India | 8 September 2015