The OU Teachers' Association asserts that many faculty members have been denied promotion, while ineligible candidates have been promoted.
Protests were held on campus by students of Osmania University, including those from AISF and ABVP. (Supplied)
For more than four months, the illustrious Osmania University in Hyderabad has been ensnared in a controversy surrounding the promotion of its professors.
The Osmania University Teachers’ Association (OUTA), armed with information from an RTI, asserts that numerous faculty members have been unjustly denied promotions, while other ineligible candidates have been promoted. The administration vehemently dismisses these allegations as baseless.
In January, a three-member committee submitted its report to the Secretary of the Education Department after an exhaustive three-month inquiry. Speaking to South First, the Committee’s Chairperson, Professor Tirupati Rao, stated, “After conducting an inquiry for nearly three months into the matter, we submitted our report in January.”
The committee, which included Professor Venkataramana (Vice-Chairman, TSCHE) and Professor Manzoor Hussain (Registrar, JNTU Hyderabad), is now at the centre of growing demands to make its findings public. Professor Rao, responding to these demands from the OUTA, professors, and students, remarked, “I have no idea about its release. Once we submitted the report, our job was done with that.”
According to the University Grants Commission (UGC), the statutory body overseeing higher education in India, a professor must have a minimum of 1o years of experience, 10 publications in UGC-listed journals, and supervision of two PhD research scholars to be eligible for promotion.
As many as 51 professors were promoted to the post of Senior Professor by the varsity under the UGC’s Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The OUTA alleges that at least 10 “ineligible” faculty members, including Vice-Chancellor D Ravinder and R Limabdri, Chairman of the Higher Education Council of Telangana, have been promoted despite not meeting these criteria.
The promotion process, as outlined by UGC Regulations 2018, involves a review of academic achievements, favourable assessments from three distinguished subject experts (who are not of a rank lower than the rank of Senior Professor or a Professor having at least ten years of experience), and selection based on the 10 best publications over the last decade.
B Manohar Reddy, OUTA’s President, revealed to South First, “We had filed the RTIs to check the publications and other details of the professors who were promoted. Our VC does not have papers published in the UGC CARE list and even Limbadri doesn’t have the required number of papers published. He has only four publications. Several deans and principals, who are holding high positions, also do not have the required numbers of publications.”
Reddy argued that even if some of the promoted professors meet the required publication count, it does not fall under the CARE list.
In 2019, the UGC approved journals list was replaced by the UGC Care Journals list. The special body called the Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (CARE) was brought in to promote high-quality research content from faculty members, researchers, and students, and prevent academic misconduct.
As per UGC Regulations 2018, the promotion procedure involves a review of the professor’s publications and supervisory roles in doctoral candidates. After the external subject expert gives their nod, a professor would be summoned for an interaction with the selection committee. Subsequently, the executive council would approve/disapprove the recommendations of the selection committee.
In a twist, Professor Bala Kishan from the Geography Department, also the Dean of Science, requested the university to withdraw his promotion as a Senior Professor in December 2023. Allegedly, the professor referred to discrepancies in his publications after it was approved by the selection committee.
Commenting on it, Manohar Reddy said, “It a convenient method for the applicant to distance himself from the misdeeds of unethical promotions. What he did was put a fake publication claiming it as his own. It was actually my paper and he removed my name and added his.” Reddy added that when the matter saw the day of light, Professor Kishan initiated withdrawal.
Manohar Reddy also held the administration responsible for such an act. “Being a teacher, he does not have enough publications in the CARE list and one of them is a fake publication. So, that is a big problem. But the administration gleefully accepted it. The administration is supporting such people and many big shots who have only three to four publications are being referred for the position of senior professors. However, the administration is defending such people, saying that it depends on the external evaluator to promote a professor.”
While Professor Kishan withdrew his promotion, the OUTA expressed concern about a potential trend in such requests. Manohar emphasised, “The withdrawal was an example that there should be firm inquiries into the promotion processes so that people cannot misuse withdrawal requests.”
Students, who are part of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), held a press conference regarding the professor promotions row. (Supplied)
The OUTA is now questioning Osmania University’s administration about the eligibility criteria, prompting the Telangana government to form a three-member committee to investigate.
B Surender Reddy, Professor at the Department of Mathematics who filed an RTI after his promotion application was rejected, told South First, “I have 16 publications, eight in Scopus, two in Science Citation Index, and six in the UGC CARE list. I have also guided two scholars for PhD. But I still don’t know why I was rejected.”
After his application was rejected, Surender Reddy, who is also the Secretary of the OUTA, met Committee Chairman Tirupati Rao. ” I gave him full information about me and other rejected teachers,” he said.
Political Science PhD scholar Nelli Satya called for a new review committee with impartial individuals to ensure transparency and objectivity, expressing concerns about potential conflicts of interest in the current committee.
“While their expertise is valuable, concerns exist about potential conflicts of interest or lack of complete impartiality. To ensure the highest standards of transparency and objectivity, I propose the formation of a new review committee comprised of neutral and independent individuals, such as a retired high court judge or a senior IAS officer,” Satya told South First. He has also written to Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.
Over the past few months, students at Osmania University, including those part of the All India Students Federation (AISF) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), have staged protests and organised signature campaigns against the alleged discrepancies in the professors’ promotions.
In response to the allegations, Vice-Chancellor D Ravinder dismissed the allegations as “baseless” and “irrational”, accusing the OUTA of spreading misinformation.
Students addressed their concerns to Professor Redya Nayak (OSD to VC), Professor Gaddam Mallesh (Dean Faculty of UGC Affairs) and other faculty members. (Supplied)
“Due to this issue, the university’s image is at stake. Surender Reddy’s own colleague got through with the expert committee’s recommendation. If the committee is satisfied by the quality of research, then who is the OUTA to decide? These people are spreading misinformation,” the VC and Political Science professor told South First.
He questioned the motives behind the allegations.
“Two of my articles were published in EPW (Economic and Political Weekly) and a few in SAGE (SAGE Publications) as well. Both are highly regarded journals. Why would they pay the UGC to incorporate the journals?” Professor Ravinder asked.
On 24 February, the university’s Registrar, P Laxminaryana, released an official statement claiming UGC norms and regulations have been strictly followed in the promotion of professors, in accordance with GO No 15.
He noted that although the UGC CARE list, Scopus, and peer-review are options, the selection committee has the power to consider the quality of research of the faculty rather than just the number of articles.
Rubbishing the reports regarding irregularities as “baseless”, the Registrar explained the due process followed. He told South First, “According to the public notice given by the UGC in 2019, it has been clarified that the opinion of the subject experts is the final decision. Every provision of the UGC, high court, and Supreme Court judgements has been followed in the promotions of senior professors in Osmania University.”
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