In a rude shock to former Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao’s wife and YSR Congress party leader Nandamuri Lakshmi Parvathi, the Andhra Pradesh government led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has removed her from her honorary professor position at Andhra University, where she was appointed as a guide for PhD scholars.
On Friday, Andhra University Registrar Prof. N. Kishore Babu issued a statement to this effect.
Lakshmi Parvathi, who was holding the post of Telugu Academy chairperson during the YSRCP regime, has not received any salary from the university thus far.
She has also been removed as a guide for PhD students at the university. The registrar directed that all the research scholars be transferred to another guide in the same Telugu department.
In 2021, then Andhra University Vice Chancellor Prof. Prasada Rao appointed Lakshmi Parvathi as a professor in the Telugu department, bypassing the norms.
She was made in charge of the newly established Trans-Disciplinary Research (TDR) Hub at the university, which also appointed her as a guide for PhD scholars. She was allotted ten researchers to work under her.
The TDR Hub was set up to provide an opportunity for those working in various organizations to pursue a PhD. James Stephen, who had no connection with the university, was brought in and made the dean of this TDR Hub.
According to rules, a professor who acts as a guide to PhD researchers should have taught lessons to PG students and must have at least five years of teaching experience. Additionally, the professor should have contributed to the process of awarding PhDs.
Without any of these qualifications, Lakshmi Parvathi was appointed as a guide. Moreover, she was also given some honorarium for her 'guideship.' However, there were reports that she had not provided any guidance to any scholar, as she spent most of her time in Vijayawada, sources said.
