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Selection of Senate nominee for VC search panel opposed

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI July 7. A group of members of the Madras University Senate and Syndicate has urged the Governor-Chancellor to cancel the selection of a city-based paediatrician, N. Somu, as the Senate nominee for the search committee to identify a new Vice-Chancellor.

The members said the selection process was improper, irregular and contrary to university laws and established conventions. In a memorandum, they wanted the Chancellor to cancel the Senate Chairman ruling validating Dr. Somu's nomination and invalidating the papers of two others, P. Govindarajulu and V. Durai.

The Governor-Chancellor should also reconvene the Senate, the signatories to the memorandum, including the Syndicate member, R.S. Raghavan, and the Senate member, N. Manoharan, said.

A special Senate meeting, chaired by the Syndicate Committee convenor, V.K. Subburaj, was held on June 28 to identify the Senate nominee for the search committee. Three names, Dr. Govindarajulu (former Registrar of the University), V. Durai (a former Syndicate member and retired professor) and Dr. Somu, were proposed by the members. The first two names were objected to by a Syndicate member on the ground that both were "faculties," i.e., authorities of the University.

The memorandum said the Provisio to Sec. 11 (2) of the University Act said a person nominated should not be a member of the Senate, the Syndicate, the Academic Council, the Faculties, the Finance Committee, the Board of Studies or such other bodies as declared by the statutes as authorities of the University.

Dr. Raghvan countered the opposition to Dr. Govindarajulu's nomination saying that the latter was not a member of any of the authorities, particularly `faculties', mentioned in the Act. He was only the coordinator of the special assistance programme (SAP) of the University Grants Commission and hence not an "authority" under the Act and therefore his nomination was valid.

But accepting the Law Secretary's interpretation that Dr. Govindarajulu and Dr. Durai were "authorities," the Chairman rejected their nomination and ruled that Dr. Somu was the only Senate nominee.

The memorandum reiterated that Dr. Govindarajulu was not a faculty member, enumerated under Chapter XIV of the Act, and that the Law Secretary had erroneously construed the term `faculties' to mean a teacher in the department, which too was stretched very much to cover an SAP coordinator. Under the Act, faculties were appointed only by the Academic Council, and the SAP Coordinator's appointment was not made so. So the post did not fall within the meaning of `faculties', and therefore he was not an ``authority." So the rejection of the names was improper, it submitted.

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