COIMBATORE: At the end of the four-day custody of the suspended Bharathiar University Vice Chancellor A Ganapathi, Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption officials returned the man to judicial custody with nothing to show for their investigation. The suspended V-C had evaded questions and remained tight-lipped throughout the interrogation.
DVAC was granted four days’ custody of the V-C from 4 pm Tuesday to 4 pm Friday. Special court awarded the custody after DVAC filed a petition, stating that they needed to interrogate the official to recover four cheques that was given to him, while setting up a trap. At the end of the four days, they were able to recover only Rs 1 lakh in cash. Search for the post-dated cheques were in vain.
A senior official told Express that Ganapthi had not revealed anything. “We also questioned him about the voice recording that was collected from the complainant Suresh and submitted in court. However, he did not utter a word. We found it difficult to pursue the inquiry with him,” the official added.
Ganapathi was produced before the special judge John Mino at the end of the custody period on Friday evening. The V-C, then, informed that though he was not assaulted physically, he had suffered mental torture during the DVAC inquiry. He also said that he was made to sign a document or statement without being informed what it was. On hearing the statement, and considering that his 15 days’ judicial custody had come to an end as on Friday, the judge extended his custody till March 2. He would then be sent to Coimabtore Central Prison.
Meanwhile, after the rejection of the first bail petition for Ganapathi and Professor Dharmaraj, senior defence counsel planned to file another petition on Tuesday.