The arrest was made by officials from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption after the associate professor approached them. "A trap was laid to catch the vice-chancellor red handed after Suresh, an associate professor in the Chemistry department complained of a demand for bribe for securing his position," a senior officer told NDTV.
Asked how much money was demanded by the vice-chancellor and how much was paid, the officer added, "We are in the process of recovering and completing formalities. We would issue a statement soon with all information".
The appointment of vice-chancellors in the state had come under the scanner over the last several years. Academicians and activists have alleged that political clout and money power have influenced the appointments, leading to a decline in standards and increase in corrupt practices at universities.
Comments
Recently, during his tenure as Tamil Nadu Governor, Vidyasagar Rao rejected the names proposed by a search panel for the appointment of vice-chancellor to Anna University in Chennai. Mr Rao had appointed a committee headed by former Chief Justice of India Justice RM Lodha to recommend suitable names for the post.The vice-chancellor who was arrested today earlier headed the biotechnology department at Bharathidasan University. He took charge as vice-chancellor of Bharathiar University in 2016. Last year, he was booked under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015 after a Dalit research scholar had complained that he deliberately scuttled her chances of becoming an associate professor.
