KSOU: CM Siddharamaiah asks officers to seek legal opinion

Bengaluru: In a bid to resolve the KSOU row, in which the fate of lakhs of students hangs in the balance, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah held a meeting with State Chief Secretary K. Ratna Prabha and other officials at his official residence ‘Cauvery’ here yesterday morning. During the meeting, Siddharamaiah directed the officials to seek legal opinion from the Advocate General on the fate of the students. Pointing out that the future of lakhs of students who have appeared for the exams and awaiting results and certificates continues to remain uncertain after the UGC withdrew its recognition of KSOU a couple of years ago, the CM said it was high time the Government took an appropriate decision on the issue. Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha apprised the Chief Minister that wrong moves by the KSOU were alone responsible for the plight of students. Noting that the KSOU admitted students and conducted exams for technical courses without obtaining any permission from the UGC, she said that the UGC has taken all these irregularities seriously and as such, the row has become more complex. The question before the Government now is how to resolve the row and come to the rescue of students, Rathna Prabha said. Later, Siddharamaiah told the meeting to seek legal opinion and also to bring the matter to the notice of the Court. The CM further said that the issue will be discussed at Monday's Cabinet meeting, following which a decision on the Government's next move will be taken.