The Vice Chancellor selection process of Kathmandu University (KU) has been mired in controversy. Out of the 17 people who applied for the position of Vice Chancellor, 7 have submitted a complaint to the Prime Minister and Chancellor KP Sharma Oli on Sunday, raising questions about the fairness and transparency of the Vice Chancellor Search and Recommendation Committee.

In the complaint filed at the office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, it is claimed that the relative of the coordinator of the recommendation committee is also the applicant, and it is alleged that the coordinator is 'infatuated' with the former vice-chancellor Bhola Thapa. It is mentioned in the complaint that since there is biased behavior by the coordinator in the recommendation process, the attention of the Chancellor has been drawn for necessary action.

KU Sabha formed a 3-member committee under the coordination of Founder Vice-Chancellor Suresh Raj Sharma. Former vice-chancellor of Patan Institute of Health Sciences in the committee. Arjun Karki and former secretary Janardhan Nepal are members.

Committee's application in the first stage  Outgoing Vice-Chancellor Thapa, Registrar Achyut Wagle, Former Registrar Subodh Sharma along with Meghnath Dangal, Shyam Narayan Lab, Naveen Pokharel, Balchandra Luintel, Hariprasad Neupane, Vibhuthiranjan Jha, Kanhaiya Jha, Janardan Lamichhane, Manish Pokharel, Vimprasad Shrestha were invited in the first stage. , Vedamani Dahal, Rajesh Nepal and Dheeraj Giri applied.

Hariprasad Neupane, Vibhutiranjan Jha, Kanhaiya Jha, Dhiraj Giri, Vedamani Dahal, Balchandra Luintel and Shyamkumar Lab filed a complaint at the Prime Minister's Office saying that Sharma's relatives are also among the applicants. It is mentioned in the complaint that even though the applicant is a relative, the committee is working outside the scope of the procedures related to the search and recommendation of the Vice-Chancellor. In the

procedure, it is mentioned that 'in case a member of the committee or a sub-committee formed by the committee or a close relative of an expert submits an application for the post of vice-chancellor, such member or expert should not participate in the evaluation process'. The complainant says that the provision was not followed while publishing the first list from among the applicants.

coordinator Sharma has also raised questions about the letter sent by the vice chancellor to the vice chancellor to give the responsibility of acting vice chancellor to the outgoing vice chancellor Thapa. Thapa's tenure ended on January 7. Sharma wrote to the Chancellor on January 4 and recommended that since the work of the recommendation committee has not been completed, arrangements should be made for the then Vice-Chancellor Thapa to take over the responsibility until further arrangements are made.

In KU's operating rules 2049, it is said that "If the Vice-Chancellor is absent from the university for more than 1 week, the Vice-Chancellor may hand over all the work done by the Vice-Chancellor to the Registrar". They have complained that when the vice-chancellor is vacant, the regular process of handing over the responsibility to the registrar has been affected and he has shown inclination towards another competitor Thapa. The Office of the Prime Minister and Chancellor has already given the responsibility of Acting Vice-Chancellor to Registrar Wagle on January 7.

In the previous call for applications, medical professors complained that they were deprived of applying. Then, in the KU Assembly, while determining the educational qualification for the Vice-Chancellor, the issue of professors with MD, MS in medicine being left out of the competition was raised.