DVAC registers case against former Tamil University VC
THANJAVUR: After several procedural delays, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has registered an FIR against four persons, including G Baskaran, former Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Tamil University (TU), for alleged irregularities in the appointment of 21 professors and associate professors and 70 non-teaching staff to the university in 2017.
The DVAC, Thanjavur, registered an FIR on November 14 based on a preliminary inquiry. The FIR said based on credible information collected by a DVAC officer on allegations G Baskaran, who served as VC from 2015 to 2018, S Muthukumar who served as Registrar, G Sakthi Saravanan, who is still working as an assistant and N Baskaran, who worked as Director of Distance Education from 2016 to 2018 in TU, have committed misappropriation, criminal misconduct and criminal breach of leading to losses to the government.
By a notification issued on April 26, 2017, TU called for applications for 45 teaching posts of professors and associate professors in the university.
The scrutinising committee selected only 23 persons for interviews and said for the remaining 22 posts. either no qualified candidates applied or no applications were received or less than three applications, which is the norm, were received.
It was further revealed the VC, who was chairman of the selection committee, colluded with selection committee members and by adopting fraudulent methods. appointed 10 professors and 11 associate professors in May 2017 without following UGC regulations.
The postings was also violated Government Orders as the vacant posts were filled through direct recruitment without allotting 75 per cent of the posts for promotion under the Career Advancement Scheme for teachers
already in service.
It was further revealed accused 1-3 criminally conspired with selection committee members during the interviews conducted between May 29 and May 31, 2017 and selected ineligible candidates such as those who did not have experience in teaching PG courses, those who possessed less than 10 years of experience in colleges, those who did not guide PhD scholars and those who had less API marks given by the scrutinising committee than those who were not selected, the FIR noted.
The FIR also points out that G Baskaran, the then VC, attempted to obtain illegal gratification other than legal remuneration from five persons for himself for appointing them as professors and associate professors through direct recruitment prior to the interviews and also demanded bribes from five persons through Sakthi Savaranan in the range of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 40 lakh per post.
The FIR also stated that G Baskaran, in violation of the statute of the university, had appointed 70 non-teaching staff on daily wage basis with the collusion of then Registrar S Muthukumar and then Director of Distance Education N Baskaran.
Hence a case has been registered against G Baskaran, the former VC, S Muthukumar, former Registrar, G Sakthisravanan, assistant and N Baskaran, then Director of Distance Education.
Based on a complaint by R Venkatesan, Inspector of Police, DVAC, Thanjavur, they were booked under Sections 120(B) (Criminal conspiracy), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant) , 420 (Cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine) of the IPC and under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.