No 'extraneous interference' in Surappa's appointment, says TN Guv

Asserting that there was "no extraneous interference" in the selection of Dr M K Surappa as Anna University vice-chancellor, Tamil Nadu Raj Bhawan on Saturday asked the concerned to keep politics out and avoid "unnecessary mud-slinging" on the issue.

As Surappa's appointment created a heated debate in Tamil Nadu with political parties harping onto his Karnataka roots to oppose his naming, Governor Banwarilal Purohit's office said only the welfare of Anna University and colleges affiliated to it, faculty and students was kept in mind during the selection.

"The selection has been done in accordance with the laid down statutes. The selection was done from out of the list of three candidates submitted by the search committee which consisted of illustrious personalities. The whole process was fair and transparent," the Raj Bhawan said in a statement.

The clarification came as Opposition parties viewed his appointment as an effort to "saffronise" Tamil Nadu and accused the BJP government at the Centre of "interfering" in the process.

In the statement, Purohit's office detailed the process followed in appointing the vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu's premier engineering institute which began with constituting of a search committee.

"The committee, after a careful study of the applications, shortlisted nine candidates for interaction with the committee. Based on personal interaction with the candidates on 31.3.2018, the search committee prepared a panel of three candidates and submitted it to the chancellor (Purohit) on the same day," the statement said.

Dr H Devaraj, Dr S Ponnusamy and Dr M K Surappa, all from the backward classes category, were shortlisted and they appeared for an interview on April 5, after which results were announced, it said and suggested that since Dr Surappa was the best suited for the job, he was selected.

"Since there has been no extraneous interference in the selection process and since the choice of the Vice-Chancellor was done entirely in accordance with the statute, it is requested that politics be kept out and unnecessary mudslinging avoided," the statement said.