Tamil Nadu Government orders inquiry against Anna University Vice Chancellor M K Surappa

The VC confirmed that he had received a letter from the government in this regard. “These are beyond my imagination. No comments,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu government has ordered an inquiry against Anna University Vice-Chancellor M K Surappa after it received several complaints against him of financial irregularities and malpractices in semester examinations and re-evaluation. The probe is to be headed by retired high court judge Justice P Kalaiyarasan and will be carried out under provisions of the Anna University Act, 1978.

The VC confirmed that he had received a letter from the government in this regard. “These are beyond my imagination. No comments,” he said.

As per the government order, the “allegations are serious in nature” and the report should be ready within three months. The probe, the order said, will include the functioning of the university, temporary appointments and recruitments made in academic and administrative sides and the revenue earned during Surappa’s tenure.

The probe was ordered based on complaints by A Suresh, C Varadharajan, Selladurai of Save Anna University forum and R Adhikesavan.

M K Surappa was the former director of IIT Ropar and an honorary professor at IISc Bangalore and was appointed directly by the Raj Bhawan. His appointment was criticised by some political parties as he is a non-tamilian and hails from Karnataka. 

Surappa triggered a row when he introduced Bhagavad Gita as an optional paper in one of the technical streams.

Last month, the state government publicly criticised Surappa for applying for the Institution of Eminence (IoE) tag. While the government’s stand was that it would affect the 69 per cent reservation in the state, it was also miffed that the V-C did not consult the state government before applying for the status.

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