Former Delhi University Vice Chancellor Professor Deepak Pental has emerged as the front-runner for the chairmanship of the University Grant Commission (UGC). His name was considered at the last meeting of the search committee held recently.

The Search Committee consists of Professor K Srinath Reddy, Professor NR Madhav Menon and Professor Goverdhan Mehta. Reddy has retired from AIIMS as head of Cardiology and is currently the president of the Public Health Foundation of India. Menon is a former Director of National Law School of India University, Bangalore, and Professor Goverdhan Mehta is the National Research Professor in the University of Hyderabad. Mehta has also held the office of the Director at the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore.

The first meeting of the Search Committee was held in July 18 last year. In the meeting, it was decided that only nominations and no applications will be accepted for the post of the chairman. The post for the same was advertised on July 30, 2010 after which the name of Professor Deepak Pental had been nominated. The next meeting of the Search Committee is scheduled on January 10 where Pental’s resume is likely to be considered.

Sources in the HRD Ministry said that Pental’s CV has been sent to the Search Committee with an endorsement from Professor RA Mashelkar, former chairman of CSIR. Sources said that two out of the three members of the Search Committee have worked closely with Professor Mashelkar, both academically and professionally.

Though Pental has the ‘right connections’ to see his candidature through, his biodata, however, is marred in controversies due to indictment of the Delhi University by the Shunglu Committee on the issue of building infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games at an inflated rate. Pental has also been unable to come clean on the charges of protecting his colleagues involved in the infamous Cobalt 60 leak case, which led to the death of a person and injuring others because of the radioactive radiation.

The Cobalt 60 case revealed the completely ‘indifferent attitude’ of Pental as he had given approval for the sale of Cobalt 60 in the form of ‘Gamma Irradiator’ which was lying in the chemistry laboratory of Delhi University as scrap. Pental as the Vice Chancellor refused to take moral responsibility for the accident and also went on to protect his colleagues of the chemistry department who were involved in the sale of radioactive material and were later booked by police.

The post of the Chairman of UGC has been lying vacant ever since the end of the tenure of Professor Sukhadeo Thorat in February last year. Vice-chairman of UGC Professor Ved Prakash has since been officiating as the chairman of the UGC.