Ordering probe against Surappa unfair, says guv in letter to TN

Ordering probe against Surappa unfair, says guv in letter to TN

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:08.12.2020

Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit has written a letter to chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami expressing displeasure over his government setting up a committee, headed by a retired judge, to probe the alleged “financial irregularities and abuse of power” by Anna University vice chancellor M K Surappa, multiple sources told TOI.

The governor had certified the good conduct of the vice-chancellor, who was appointed by him in April 2018, to run the premier institution. “In his letter to the chief minister last week, the governor said the inquiry is not correct and needs to be closed. The state government neither acknowledged nor has it replied yet,” sources said.

The government had appointed Madras high court retired judge justice Kalaiyarasan on November 11 to head the probe committee after it found prima-facie all the allegations against the vicechancellor, including the ₹200 crore corruption charges, were serious in nature. The higher education department issued the order for a committee after the chief minister gave the go-ahead.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit & Anna Univ VC M K Surappa

Guv upset that state govt formed committee without his knowledge

Chennai: “The governor, who is also chancellor of the universities, is upset because the state government constituted the committee without his knowledge,” said another source. Academicians say if the government could start an inquiry against the vice-chancellor based on anonymous petitions, the governor could grant sanction to prosecute the ministers based on complaints received from the public.

Incidentally, Purohit has still not cleared the bills to bifurcate Anna University, despite lapse of three months of its unanimous passage in the legislative assembly. He took more than a month to give assent to 7.5% NEET quota bill and not before the state government issued an order.

On a public interest litigation seeking to quash the government order on setting up the inquiry committee, the Madras high court on Friday added chancellor Banwarilal Purohit as a party in the case and adjourned it to December 9 for further hearing. The state government earlier objected to the vice-chancellor seeking to get impleaded in the case.

Three months since bill to bifurcate Anna University was passed in the state assembly, the governor is yet to clear it