Dharmaraj Adat is CU Senate nominee for V-C search panel

The Senate of the University of Calicut has chosen Dharmaraj Adat, former Vice-Chancellor (V-C), Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, as its nominee for the search-and-selection committee to pick a new V-C for the institution.

The decision was taken at the Senate meeting held on the university campus at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district on Saturday. According to sources, while members aligned with the United Democratic Front (UDF) proposed the name of Achuth Sankar S. Nair, former Director, Centre for Development of Imaging Technology, those aligned with the BJP proposed K. Muraleedharan, principal scientist, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, and the pro-Left members came up with the name of Mr. Adat. When the proposals were put to vote, the Left nominee got 39 votes, UDF nominee 19 votes and the BJP nominee five votes. Subsequently, Mr. Adat was chosen as the official nominee of the Senate.

The other two members of the search-and-selection committee are nominated by the Chancellor and the University Grants Commission. The current V-C, P. Raveendran, was appointed to the post by the Chancellor in July 2024. Saturday’s meeting was chaired by Kavumbayi Balakrishnan, senior member, in the absence of Mr. Raveendran