Government Order on search panel for Vice Chancellor challenged

ChangeIndia, represented by its Director A Narayanan, has filed the PIL seeking to quash the order in view of the inclusion of C Murukadas as the convener of the search committee despite allegations of irregularities pending against him. Narayanan in his plea has contended that the State Government through an order on April 6, 2015 had constituted a search committee to recommend three names for the post of Vice-Chancellor. 

As per the guidelines, the search committee would recommend three names and out of them, the Governor of the State would select one. But on December 31, 2015, one of the committee members, Mu. Ramaswamy raised allegations of irregularities in the functioning of Murukadas. He had alleged that the total number of applications received in the office of the search committee was 112. But Murukadas short listed 144. Also, the register in the office of the search committee showed 113, the last being the application of Prof. V Mancikavasagam, Registrar, Alagappa University, which was submitted in person to Murukadas in the circuit house of Madurai after the last date was over. But as there was no response from the authorities, Ramaswamy resigned from the Committee on February 11, 2016. Subsequently, a GO was passed on December 20, 2016 reconstituting the Committee without removing Murukadas. 

Narayanan further alleged that Murukadas was the PhD, guide to Rama Mohana Rao, who was recently removed from the post of Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu. “It was only owing to his close links with the former Chief Secretary that he had become the member of Search Committees for Annamalai University, Tiruvalluvar University and the MKU”, he said. He also contended that the secretary to higher education, principal secretary to Governor and the Registrar, Madurai Kamaraj University ought to have cleared the air by responding and taking action on Murukadas based on the serious and specific allegations of impropriety raised by Mu. Ramaswamy, who resigned from the search committee. In the absence of this, the continued functioning of Murukadas as convenor of the search committee raises genuine apprehension that the selection of vice-chancellor to Madurai Kamaraj University will not be above board, Narayanan submitted. 

Narayanan also cited the earlier judgement of the High Court following the resignation of Ramaswamy that as “One of the members of the Selection Committee subsequently withdrew from the committee, the selection process would have to begin de novo.” The PIL is set to be heard on Thursday by the Vacation Bench of Justices S. Vadiyanathan and V. Parthiban.

Directive to AG on non-Tamil students

The Madras High Court has directed the Advocate General R Muthukumaraswamy to advise the state government to consider and pass orders exempting students who have not had an opportunity to study Tamil for at least three years in respect of appearing for Board exams.

“Advocate General assures that he will advise the Government to pass orders addressing the concerns of the Court for students who have not had an opportunity to study Tamil for at least three years, in respect of appearing for the Board Examination,” the First Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M. Sundar, said last week. 

The court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking granting of exemption to students studying in linguistic minority schools from writing Tamil language papers in Class 10 exam. Earlier on January 25, the court had exempted about 7000 students who had sought exemption from writing the Tamil language paper for the academic year 2015-16. Senior Counsel and former Additional Solicitor General M Ravindran, who appeared on behalf of various Linguistic Minority Institutions, submitted that in the guise of Education Policy, government was playing with children’s lives. 

After hearing the submissions, the Bench passed the above order and posted the matter for further hearing to January 3. The matter relates to making Tamil Language Paper compulsory for all which was challenged by various Linguistic Minority Schools including Linguistic minorities’ forum of Tamil Nadu.