Abraham V. M Explained

Honorific Prefix:Hon'ble Vice Chancellor
Fr. Abraham V. M. C.M.I
Nationality:Indian
Occupation:Vice-Chancellor
Period:2019 – 2023

Abraham V. M is C.M.I. priest and academician he served as the vice-chancellor of Christ University from 2019 to 2023.[1] [2] [3] He was the former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Christ University for the past 10 years.[4] [5]

Controversy Over Tenure Duration

Source:[6]

In February 2023, a controversy arose surrounding the tenure of Fr Abraham V. M, the Vice-Chancellor of Christ (Deemed to be University) in Bengaluru. The Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), the management of the institution, was alleged to be curtailing the five-year term prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for Vice-Chancellors. Fr Abraham V. M, who began his term on March 1, 2019, was initially appointed for three years. He received a one-year extension in 2022, concluding his term on February 28, 2023.

Internal Communications and Allegations

Fr Abraham V. M communicated his concerns to the university's chancellor, Fr Paul Achandy, pointing out alleged inconsistencies in the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor. He emphasized that the appointment process might be in violation of UGC regulations. The Vice-Chancellor's concerns were primarily centered on the UGC's requirement for Vice-Chancellors to serve five-year terms. Additionally, in a letter dated February 27, he highlighted that a UGC member on the selection committee insisted on a public advertisement for the Vice-Chancellor position, a view that was not shared by the other committee members.

Response from CMI

The CMI, in its internal communications, maintained that the requirement for issuing a notification inviting applications for the Vice-Chancellor position was not applicable to Christ (deemed university) due to its 'minority status'. The prior general of CMI, Thomas C Mathew, did not comment on the decision to limit Fr Abraham's tenure to four years, despite previous Vice-Chancellors serving five-year terms.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Metro people: Fr Abraham V M, now VC of Christ. 14 May 2021.
  2. Web site: Fr Abraham is new VC of Christ University. 14 May 2021.
  3. Web site: Faculty Profile - Christ University. 14 May 2021.
  4. Web site: DetailOfUniversity. 2021-05-14. deemed.ugc.ac.in.
  5. Web site: Prof ABRAHAM V M Vice Chancellor and Professor Christ University. live. 2021-05-14. irins.inflibnet.ac.in. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514122639/https://christuniversity.irins.org/profile/124105 . 14 May 2021 .
  6. Web site: 2023-03-01 . Bengaluru: Move to curtail Christ University’s VC term comes under the cloud . 2023-08-24 . The Indian Express . en.