Surappa probe: HC wants govt to produce all files

Surappa probe: HC wants govt to produce all files

Kaushik.Kannan@timesgroup.com

Madurai:01.12.2020

The Madras high court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu government to produce all the files relating to complaints against Anna University vice-chancellor (VC) M K Surappa and a GO to constitute a probe panel.

A division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi sought to produce the files in a public interest litigation filed by Manithanigai Kumar, a resident of Kanyakumari district who challenged the GO passed by the state government to initiate a probe against VC Surappa.

During the course of hearing, advocate general Vijay Narayan submitted that retired Madras high court Justice P Kalaiyarasan was appointed to probe into the complaints. He also argued on the maintainability of the petition.

The petitioner stated that A Suresh from Trichy district had sent a complaint to the chief minister's special cell making baseless allegations that the VC and the deputy director of the centre for constituent colleges had received money for recruiting temporary teaching staff at the university and constituent colleges.

He stated that the nature of such serious allegations could be ascertained only after conducting a preliminary inquiry. However, without even conducting a preliminary inquiry, the GO was passed.

The petitioner stated that Surappa had improved the quality of technical education in the state by taking various revolutionary and reformatory steps for the functioning of the university. Manithanigai stated that by making financial reforms, the VC had cut down the expenditures.