Anna University former VC Surappa seeks copy of inquiry report

Justice V Parthiban asks Advocate General R Shanmugasundaram to file a reply on the matter by January 10.  

MK Surappa, former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, has sought a copy of the report of inquiry commission from the Madras High Court. Justice P Kalaiarasan, a retired judge of the high court, was appointed to inquire into allegations of corruption and financial irregularities levelled against Surappa by three persons. They claimed that he had siphoned INR 280 crore from the university.  

If the report copy is furnished to him, he will withdraw his writ petition challenging the constitution of the commission,Surappa’s counsel told Justice V Parthiban, when the petition came up for further hearing. Justice Parthiban granted time till January 10 to Advocate-General R Shanmugasundaram to find out whether Surappa can be supplied a copy of the report. 

The Commission of Inquiry, headed by Justice Kalaiarasan, was constituted in November 2020 by the then AIADMK government to probe the allegations of bribery, corruption, malpractices, financial irregularities and irregular appointments, against Surappa. 

Surappa had filed the present petition denying all charges levelled against him. He claimed that he had undertaken major development works in the interest of the premier technical varsity, ever since he had assumed office in April 2018. His opposition to the state government’s decision to pass all engineering students without conducting arrear examinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts made by him to obtain an Institute of Eminence (IoE) status for Anna university, had triggered the confrontation. 

He also stated he had refused to part with university funds for purchasing decorative items at the offices of the then Higher Education Minister and the Secretary. All this had ended in him drawing the ire of the previous government, he had contended. 

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