Vadodara: M S University’s syndicate members on Monday accepted an inquiry committee’s report which has held professor Shivaji Panikkar, the former in-charge dean of Faculty of Fine Arts, guilty of misconduct and causing communal disharmony. The inquiry report had found Panikkar guilty in December 2017 for his conduct during ‘obscenity row’ of May 2007.However, the syndicate members have fallen short of taking any action against Panikkar or even clearing his pending dues for which the suspended teacher is waiting since the last eleven years now.While accepting the inquiry committee report, the university’s syndicate body has decided to take a legal opinion on further course of action.Effectively, this means that Panikkar, who is presently working with the School of Culture and Creative Expressions at Ambedkar University, Delhi, will have to wait for a longer time as Monday’s meeting was the last syndicate meeting of the outgoing syndicate body.It was in May 2007 that amidst the ‘obscenity row’ that had rocked the famed faculty, Panikkar was suspended by the then university officials. Panikkar had then decided to support a decision of students of the faculty to put up an exhibition dealing with the long history of erotica in both Indian and Western art.He, however, faced ‘disciplinary action’ after he refused to abide by the directives of the then university officials to close down the exhibition.In December last the report of the departmental inquiry headed by retired district judge AK Vaishya against Panikkar was placed before MSU’s syndicate members but the decision was deferred.“We have decided to take a legal opinion as the Gujarat High Court had ordered us to expedite the inquiry which has been done. But any further decision in the matter will have financial implications. Also, he is no longer an employee of MSU,” said MSU vice-chancellor professor Parimal Vyas, adding that whatever legal opinion is provided to the university will be placed before the syndicate members in the next meeting.Restoration costs MSU at least Rs 25 lakhVadodara: MS University has incurred an expense of at least Rs 25 lakh in carrying out restoration work at the university head office which was torched by former student of the Faculty of Fine Arts Chandra Mohan on February 2.This is over and above the damage that the fire has caused to furniture, computers, printers, hard disks, scanners and records of three years.Chandra Mohan, who was at the centre of the ‘obscenity row’ had set the university head office on fire after being “frustrated” with the delay by the university officials in declaring his results which are withheld since 2007.After being denied bail by a sessions court, the artist is presently in judicial custody.

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