The Hindu : Seer refuses to accept honorary doctorate

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Dharwad

Seer refuses to accept honorary doctorate

By Our Special Correspondent

DHARWAD, JAN. 17. The annual convocation of Karnatak University held here today was marked by a debate over Sidheshwar Swamiji of Bijapur refusing to accept the honorary doctorate.

It is said that the swamiji expressed his unwillingness to accept the doctorate. "Does Sidheshwar Swamiji require this honour?" the swamiji is supposed to have asked in a letter sent to the university.

With the swamiji declining the offer, the names of G.M. Patil, advocate and Chairman of the Loka Shikshana Trust, which publishes Samyukta Karnataka, and Nandan Nilekani, Chief Executive Officer of Infosys, were reportedly cleared at the last moment. Both of them received the doctorate at the convocation.

What marked the selection was the manner in which the university reportedly deviated from the procedures followed to confer honorary doctorates.

It was the Syndicate which, in its meeting held a week ago, reportedly recommended the three names and forwarded them for clearance from the Chancellor, T.N. Chaturvedi.

It is alleged that by doing so, the Syndicate bypassed the Academic Council, which is authorised to initiate the process. The alleged faux pas committed by the Syndicate was noticed by Mr. Chaturvedi, who reportedly returned the papers demanding that the procedure adopted for conferring doctorates be adhered to, according to sources.

But the university decided to go ahead with conferring honorary doctorates on Mr. Patil and Mr. Nilekani, which was made evident by the announcement made by the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Khajapeer, at a press conference here this morning.

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