The meeting of the search committee to finalise the names of the nominees for the post of University Grant Commission (UGC) chairman is underway.

There are two top contenders for the post - professor Deepak Pental, former vice chancellor of the Delhi University and professor R C Sobti, vice chancellor of Punjab University, Chandigarh. However, the two hopefuls not only face corruption charges, they don't fulfil the preferred age criterion for the post as well.

The UGC advertisement for the position of chairman said that the nominee should preferably be below 60 years of age. Pental is 61 years of age while Sobti is 63.

Professor Pental has been charged by the Shunglu Committee of corruption for building infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games in the varsity campus at an inflated rates. He has also been charged of protecting his colleagues involved in the Cobalt-60 leak case.

Sobti allegedly violated the norms while sanctioning appointments in some posts in Punjab University.

The post of the chairman of UGC has been lying vacant since the end of the tenure of professor Sukhadeo Thorat in February last year.