Two Candidates for Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor Face Allegations

Kathmandu. It has been found that the list of individuals on the roster for the Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University includes those involved in intellectual theft and individuals who have acquired foreign citizenship. 

This anomaly has been observed in Dr. Kedarnath Ghimire and Dr. Durgadatta Poudel, who were recently included in the list of eligible candidates for the Vice-Chancellor positions of 8 universities, published by the Ministry of Education and Sports a few days ago. This has sparked a serious debate about the process of selecting university leadership. 

Kedarnath Ghimire Was Involved in Intellectual Theft 

Dr. Kedarnath Ghimire, a former professor of Chemistry at Tribhuvan University, who is mentioned in the list of eligible candidates for the Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University and Pokhara University among those published by the ministry, was involved in an intellectual theft controversy. He is included at number nine in the Tribhuvan University roster and at number eleven in the Pokhara University roster. 

It has been proven that his book titled 'University Experimental Physical Chemistry' was copied verbatim from the books of Indian authors J.N. Gurtu, R. Kapur, and J. Yadav without citing sources. 

A તપાસ committee formed under the convenership of Prof. Dr. Rajaram Pradhananga had already sent a report to the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority through the then Dean's office, deeming it intellectual theft. 

Dr. Ghimire's controversy does not end here. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has also blacklisted him, deeming him ineligible for research activities due to intellectual theft. 

Dr. Ghimire, along with other professors from the Central Department of Chemistry at Tribhuvan University, Meghraj Pokharel and Dev Bahadur Khadka, submitted a research paper titled 'Chemical Modification of Natural Polymers and Their Application in Waste-Drinking Water' to the Grants Commission with the aim of obtaining 1 million rupees in state grants. 

The evaluation committee of the commission, led by Prof. Krishna Bahadur Manandhar, former secretary of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), discovered that the research paper was an exact copy of a previous work they had submitted to NAST a few years earlier. 

After being accused of academic dishonesty, they were unable to provide an explanation. Subsequently, the Grants Commission declared them ineligible to participate in any future research. 

Despite serious violations of academic values and professional ethics, they had already received half of the grant amount at that time. The Ministry of Education has included such individuals, who have faced serious moral decline and have been blacklisted, in the Vice-Chancellor's roster. 

Allegations of Foreign Citizenship Against Durgadatta Poudel

Similarly, questions have been raised about the citizenship of another candidate, Dr. Durgadatta Poudel, who has only applied for the Vice-Chancellor position at Tribhuvan University. 

He has been residing in America for about 30 years. Close associates claim that Poudel, an agricultural scientist and former professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has acquired American citizenship but has not formally renounced his Nepali citizenship. 

The current procedure established by the ministry and the application notice for the Vice-Chancellor position stipulate that one must be a Nepali citizen to be a Vice-Chancellor. However, professors are protesting the inclusion of Dr. Poudel, who has acquired American citizenship, in the list of eligible candidates.