: Governor-Chancellor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao has sought an explanation from Higher Education secretary A. Karthik after some vice chancellors of State universities and a couple of registrars called upon V.K. Sasikala, a close friend of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, at Poes Garden last Tuesday.
According to the Chancellor’s office, a letter was sent to Mr. Karthik a day after the event. Although the contents of the letter are not immediately known, sources said that a copy of the letter had been sent to all VCs who had met Ms. Sasikala.
The VCs contacted by this correspondent, however, said they had not received any such communication. It may be recalled that following the meeting that the VCs had with Ms. Sasikala, opposition parties had demanded the Governor’s intervention. Opposition leader M.K. Stalin had also written to the Governor demanding an inquiry against the VCs.
Question of conduct
Senior professors wondered why the Chancellor sent a letter to the Higher Education secretary instead of addressing it directly to the VCs. Since the Governor-Chancellor signs the appointment orders of the VCs, he has the powers to demand explanation for the VCs’ conduct in office, academicians said.
S.P. Thyagarajan, former VC of the University of Madras, said, “A Chancellor has complete control over university administration. A VC going abroad should keep the Chancellor informed. If any action of the VC is contrary to the mandate of the Chancellor’s office, then the Chancellor can demand an explanation.”
As for lack of explicit norms in the University Acts and statutes, he said it was accepted that “a VC commands respect and is regarded as the custodian of ethics and morals.” However, newer universities had included rules for the conduct of VCs in their Acts, he said.
The action that the Chancellor could initiate would depend on the explanation provided by the VCs, officials say. “The explanation could also bring about changes in the Acts and statutes governing universities,” Mr. Thyagarajan noted.
In another development, the Anna University Teachers’ Association (AUT) has sought the removal of M. Bhaskaran from the VC search panel of the university. The convenor of the committee too was part of the team that met Ms. Sasikala. With such political tilt, Mr. Bhaskaran was not fit to head the independent committee that would choose the VC, the AUT said in a statement.
