TN governor Ravi’s plan to visit Periyar University creates controversy
The vice chancellor and registrar of the university face corruption charges in a case that was filed in December.
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has sparked another controversy with his decision to visit Periyar University in Salem on Thursday (January 11) and meet university officials who are facing criminal charges.
A case was filed against the vice chancellor Dr R Jagannathan and registrar K Thangavel last month over corruption charges.
Jagannathan was arrested during the last week of December 2023 based on a complaint filed by a lawyer Elangovan, the legal advisor of the Periyar University Employees’ Union.
A First Information Report (FIR) that was filed claimed that Elangovan had discovered irregularities and corruption in the functioning of the university. It claimed that the Periyar University Technology Entrepreneurship and Research Foundation (PUTER Foundation) and PUTER Park Lab were instituted without proper approvals.
It also included charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act because Elangovan claimed that when he confronted the vice chancellor on the corruption charges, Jagannathan insulted his caste and threatened his life.
An office bearer of the university said that the governor was scheduled to reach Salem at 12.30 pm and then spend two hours at the university guest house. He said it was not clear which officials he would meet and what the agenda was. He said that the governor, in his role as the chancellor of state universities, had not initiated any inquiry into allegations of irregularities in the university.
An activist said it was not right for the governor to meet officials who were facing criminal charges, and urged him to suspend the vice chancellor and registrar.
The state president of Ambedkar Makkal Iyakkam said the registrar Thangavel went on medical leave without appearing for the police inquiry, and he asked the police to arrest him if he appeared for the meeting with the governor on Thursday.
The Opposition party in the state, BJP, has alleged that Jagannathan was arrested over false charges because he refused to appoint candidates recommended by the state’s Higher Education Department for the posts of Registrar and Controller of Examinations for Periyar University.
