SALEM: Salem Periyar University Vice-Chancellor R Jagannathan was arrested by the Salem city police on Tuesday for allegedly forming a private company to offer educational programmes in association with the university in violation of norms.
The arrest comes a month after the university administration placed a table agenda in the university syndicate meeting to undertake educational programmes in collaboration with Periyar University Technology Entrepreneurship and Research Foundation (PUTER Foundation), a private company, on November 6.
The move evoked strong opposition from university professors and others. The Association of University Teachers (AUT) had also alleged that the address of the company is Periyar University and the company’s four directors include the V-C and registrar K Thangavel. The forum had urged the higher education department to take action.
A few days ago, I Elangovan, legal advisor of the Periyar University Employee Union (PUEU), lodged a police complaint saying that the V-C and the registrar have allegedly misappropriated public funds and violated norms by starting the foundation, which led to financial loss to the state exchequer. A building on the university campus has been rented out to the foundation for a very low rate in violation of norms, the complaint said.
Accused was earlier TN agri varsity V-C
“While a bank branch on the campus is being charged Rs 21,000 as monthly rent, the university authorities have fixed an annual rent of Rs 1,000 for 2,000 square feet of space rented out to the PUTER foundation. The V-C and the registrar have done this purely for their profit. It is illegal for government employees to start a private company,” sources said.
A police team that came to the university on Tuesday held inquiries with the V-C and later arrested him. The Karuppur police have registered a case against him, sources said. A senior police officer said detailed information will be provided later. R Jaganathan had earlier served as the V-C of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore. His tenure at Periyar University will end on June 30, 2024.