A controversy has broken out in the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) here over the reported move by authorities to pay legal fees from the university funds to lawyers who argued in courts for Vice-Chancellor Kalyani Mathivanan and others.
The objections from various associations and individuals have assumed significance on the eve of a Syndicate meeting on October 18. The agenda includes payment of fees claimed by lawyers who appeared for her in High Court and Supreme Court.
Letters have been shot off to the Governor to stop the authorities’ attempts to use university funds for battling personal cases in court.
Agenda copy of the Syndicate meeting, which is available with The Hindu , says that items 15 and 16 pertain “to consider payment of legal fees claimed by senior advocates” in Chennai and New Delhi for appearance in courts.
Sources said that the total amount to be paid as legal fees ran to the tune of Rs.18 lakh and it was being taken up in the Syndicate meeting for approval. Dr. Kalyani Mathivanan is fighting a case in the Supreme Court over her qualification to be Vice-Chancellor.
“The court cases are against an individual and not the university. She has to pay from her own funds and exorbitant legal fees to advocates should not be taken from MKU funds. If the Syndicate approves the payment on Saturday, we will take it up legally,” former Syndicate member I. Ismail said in his plea to the Governor.
While one court case pertains to quashing an FIR registered against Dr. Kalyani, the Registrar and others in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, the other one is a civil appeal case in the Supreme Court.
The fee details claimed by advocates have been circulated in the Syndicate meeting agenda, based on an ‘office note’ prepared by the MKU’s legal cell.
P. Vijayakumar, co-convenor, Save MKU Coalition, condemned the attempts to take away varsity funds for making payments to lawyers in cases not concerning the university.
“Items 15 and 16 in the agenda refer to payment by the university for lawyers who appeared for Dr. Kalyani Mathivanan. It will be a travesty of justice if these payments are done from MKU resources,” he said in his letter to the Governor.
