Anna Univ V-C search panel headless as Lodha opts out

By Express News Service  |   Published: 20th September 2017 02:27 AM  |  

CHENNAI: Former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, who hitherto headed the search committee for selection of a Vice-Chancellor for Anna University, has decided to quit, as inclusion of another member in the committee has been challenged in the Madras High Court. Advocate-General Vijay Narayan informed the first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar about this when the matter came up on Tuesday.

Justice Lodha confirmed to Express that he had indeed put in his papers. “I heard that someone has challenged the composition of the panel in court. If there is litigation going on in a court I would prefer not to be part of the panel. I have sent my resignation to the Governor. The matter is sub judice now,” he said. Asked if there was any other reason that forced him to resign, he replied in the negative. “Everything was going on fine,” he said.

Originally, the bench had reserved its orders on a PIL from P Uchimakali, State secretary of SFI, challenging the inclusion of Anantha Padmanabhan, a former Director of IIT, Kanpur, as a member of the search committee, on September 13.

The petitioner alleged that Padmanabhan has been nominated as a member of the committee, despite being a professor of eminence in Anna University, which is against the by-laws of the university. The by-law prohibits persons related to the university in any manner from being nominated as a member of the search committee.

The government submitted that Padmanabhan had resigned from the post of professor of eminence much before being nominated to the search committee. When the A-G made a mention on Tuesday about the decision of Justice Lodha, the bench pointed out a letter dated August 18, written by Padmanabhan to the university stating that he is resigning from the post of professor of eminence only in consequence to his nomination as a member of the search committee.

Based on the communication, which bore the official seal of the university, the bench raised doubts about the authenticity of the copy of the resignation letter filed in the court, claiming that Padmanabhan had resigned in April, two months before his nomination. As the A-G submitted that he will produce the original documents, the bench adjourned the matter by a day.