Raj Bhavan rubbishes charges of favouritism in VC selection

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit’s office on Saturday refuted charges of favouritism in the selection of M K Surappa as Anna University vice-chancellor.
Seeking to put the entire procedure followed in the VC selection in the public domain, the Raj Bhavan issued a press release. It said there was “no extraneous interference” in the selection of Karnataka-born Surappa as head of the technical varsity. The release said the entire process was fair and transparent.

“The welfare of the Anna University and engineering colleges affiliated to the university, faculty and the students was kept in mind when making the selection… 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 mud-slinging avoided,” it said.

The statement has come in the backdrop of many political parties charging that varsities in the state were being saffronised by the governor. Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan had tweeted that when TN sought Cauvery water from Karnataka, what it got was a VC from that state. The controversy over a Kannadiga heading the Anna University has cropped up amidst raging protests across the state over the Cauvery water dispute. Fisheries minister D Jayakumar, on Friday, denied the role of the state government in the appointment.

The selection was purely based on the need to have an academician, who understands the need of the technical varsity, to head it, the release said. It was done keeping in mind the future of the university, faculty and the students, the statement said. “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.”

A search committee of three members - nominees of the university syndicate, state government and that of the governor - was constituted in November last. The panel shortlisted three names, H Devaraj, S Ponnusamy and M K Surappa and held interviews on April 5. All the three shortlisted candidates were from backward class communities, the release said.

Surappa is a metallurgical engineer and holds a doctorate, and enjoys administrative experience in IIT, Ropar as its director for six years. Ponnusamy is a doctorate holder in Mathematics and head of the Chennai unit of Indian Statistical Institute, while Devaraj, a doctorate in bio-chemistry, has been the vice-chairman of the University Grants Commission.

“The academic, teaching, research and administrative attainments of the three candidates were examined in detail by the chancellor from March 31 to April 5. Soon after the completion of the interview of the three candidates on April 5, the final result was declared and press release was issued on the same day to ensure complete transparency and total non-interference in the process of selection,” the statement said.