MADURAI: Around 600 staff members of The American College have not received their April salary yet, as the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) recently rejected the approval to extend the tenure of the institution's secretary, which ended on January 27. Sources said the signatures of the principal and the secretary were mandatory to forward the salary bills to the regional joint director of the DCE, impeding the disbursal of salary to hundreds of teaching and non-teaching staff.
Citing an ongoing DVAC investigation, Commissioner of Collegiate Education E Sundaravalli, in her letter dated April 24, rejected the approval seeking the extension of tenure of the secretary -- M Davamani Christober, who is also the principal of the college -- from January 28 till May 31. Davamani was appointed as the secretary of the college on January 28, 2022.
Based on a complaint alleging the secretary of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) initiated a preliminary investigation against him, following a recent direction on the same by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. The DVAC submitted that the final report in the case would be filed soon. Citing the same, the DCE rejected the approval for the extension of his tenure.
A staff member urged the governing council of the college to either select a new principal or appoint a principal-in-charge, so that the salary for the faculty members would be disbursed without delay. Despite repeated attempts, TNIE could not contact the college's governing council president D Jeyasingh Prince Prabakaran.