It is appalling that Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai chose to grab that so-called Honoris Causa PH.D degree from an unrecognized and little known Logos University International which is an unaccredited private university in Florida founded only in 2006.
It was incumbent for Governor Pillai to ascertain credentials and repute of that University as he is duty bound to safeguard the solemnity and sanctity of his very high position as Governor and also Chancellor of Goa University. Logos University is not recognised by our Ministry of Human Resource Development or University Grants Commission. Infact there are very stringent guidelines about such foreign universities. Governor Pillai should have sought the advice of the Vice- Chancellor of Goa University but in his own enthusiasm went ahead with acceptance of that sham honorary doctorate.
An inquiry by the Ministry of Home affairs is needed on this issue since it’s a foreign University not recognized by the Govt of India but possibly trying to seek legitimacy through the backdoor by influencing the Governor of a State through such cheap publicity stunts. Our central intelligence agencies need to probe if this foreign university has given similar honorary degrees to any other Governors and Politicians in a bid to influence them.
Governor Pillai must urgently seek a clarification from the University Grants Commission on the legality of his honorary foreign doctorate and must gracefully surrender it. In this sordid episode there has clearly been glaring serious issues of breach of security at Goa Raj Bhavan who didn’t run a check on this foreign university.
This whole stage managed dubious conferring of this Degree is scandalous and smacks of a fraudulent act. It is unfortunate that the presence of distinguished Padmashree His Holiness Sadguru Brahmeshanand Acharya Swamiji and His Eminence Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, Archbishop of Archdiocese of Goa and Daman was engineered to try and legitimize this sham. Eminent personalities must tread cautiously whilst being manipulated into attending such dubious functions.
