DAVAMANI, ALAGAPPA UNIVERSITY AND OIL MASSAGE

At the outset all those who have respect for education and educational institutions must excuse me for using an irreverent caption for this write up. So long as the so called academicians, research guides and administrators care the least to uphold the integrity of the academic institutions they swear by and indulge in common crimes you do not find better metaphors to capture the reality.

 Alagappa University came before the High Court as late as 05.12.2013 to make an averment that Davamani Chistober has committed a fraud in obtaining the PhD Interdisciplinary (Mathematics and Education). This happened after much prodding through RTI for two years and filing of and court cases. But what it has revealed to the court and to me under RTI is much less than what has happened. Think about the following questions?

        1. How can the Research section of Alagappa University accept a thesis with the wrong nomenclature written on the face sheet during Davamani’s second submission (2007)?

         2.How come on 28.07.2007, the Viva Committee which had the two guides as members- Dr.Gabriale (Botony) and Dr.Mohan(Tamil)- turned a blind eye to the wrong and fraudulent declaration by Davamani on the very face-sheet and went about valuing the thesis and make the recommendation, to use their exact words, “the candidate may be awarded PhD in Education.”

        3.   When Viva Committee’s recommendation is final as for the matter of awarding PhD degree is concerned as per Alagappa University rules, why Registrar Dr.R.Dandabani, with impunity issued a certificate saying “Mr. Davamani Christober be declared to have qualified for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education – Interdisciplinary (Education and Mathematics) on 12.09.2007?”

      4.  Why Alagappa University even after saying Davamani as having committed a fraud, instead of cancelling his degree and filing a criminal complaint for cheating in the examination , is trying to a assuage him by awarding him the so called corrected version of  PhD namely “PhD in Education?” Is it not to protect its own employees telling the world that “it was only an administrative oversight?”

 (Alagappa University seems to have said that Davamani only cheated and not our staff. It also seems to have said “Davamani Davamani, we after all like you! Oh what a toil over research and over how many years? What will you do without a PhD as a Principal? We will now suitably reward you with the ‘correct pure version of PhD’ for having remained with us and meddling around for nine years.”)

 Nice oil message, isn’t it?

Let us be serious now. It is quite obvious that certain administrative staff, both the guides and the Registrar have actively colluded/collaborated/manipulated records/cheated in order to help Davamani who ultimately cheated the system. All these people are liable under various sections of Indian Criminal Law. And it is the duty of the present Alagappa University administration not to hide under the theory of ‘correcting a simple mistake' but order for an inquiry and file a criminal complaint.

If they fail in this responsibility, we have to initiate the process ourselves in public interest. Will anyone join me?