VISAKHAPATNAM : Within a week after he demitted office, former vice-chancellor of Andhra University GSN Raju got entangled in a controversy over alleged violation of norms in the appointment of contract staff, PhD admissions and purchase of material for the university. HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao reportedly appointed a three-member committee to probe the allegations made by student unions of the university. However, none of the university authorities could be reached for confirmation on the issue.
The minister is learnt to have enquired from in-charge vice-chancellor EA Narayana about the allegations levelled by the student unions and took stock of the situation. Later, he reportedly appointed a three-member committee comprising G Kannam Das of Higher Education department, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) vice-chairman P Vijaya Prakash and AU UGC Centre for SAARC Studies honorary director M Prasada Rao.
In a series of dramatic developments on Thursday, AU registrar V Uma Maheswara Rao issued orders cancelling the temporary recruitment to 33 vacant posts in AU College of Engineering. He had also stalled admission of research scholars in executive category between November 2015 and February 2016. Minutes later, the minister ordered the probe into the allegations.
GSN Raju issued a statement here on Thursday night and denied the allegations and said he was pained to see such misleading allegations against him by some vested interests to tarnish the image of the university. The former VC strongly condemned the allegations terming them as fabricated.