Mysore/Mysuru: In a big relief for University of Mysore (UoM) Vice-Chancellor Prof. N.K. Lokanath, the High Court on Friday upheld his appointment as the VC, while also quashing a HC Single Judge Bench order cancelling his appointment.

 Prof. Lokanath had petitioned the HC challenging the Single Judge Bench order that had quashed his appointment as the VC. A Division Bench of the HC comprising Chief Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar and Justice T.G. Shivashankaregowda, which heard the petition on Friday, quashed the Single Judge Bench order and allowed the continuance of Prof. Lokanath  as the UoM VC.

The Governor, who is also the Chancellor of all State-run Universities, had appointed Prof. N.K. Lokanath as the UoM VC on Mar. 23, 2023, which order was questioned in the HC by Prof. Sharath Ananathamurthy (son of Jnanpith awardee late Prof. U.R. Ananthamurthy), another aspirant for the post. A Single Judge Bench of the HC comprising Justice N.S. Sanjaygowda, which heard Sharath’s plea, had cancelled Prof. Lokanath’s appointment as VC   on Sept. 12, 2023.

Subsequently, Prof. Lokanath challenged the order in the HC, following which a HC Division Bench comprising the then Chief Justice P.B. Varale (now a Supreme Court Judge) and Justice Krishna S. Dikshith, which heard the case, had stayed the Single Judge Bench order. Now, the HC has given full relief to Prof. Lokanath by quashing the order.

Senior advocates Ashok Haranahalli, Uday Holla and Abhishek Kumar argued for Prof. Lokanath.