The Madras High Court on Tuesday summoned Higher Education Secretary Mangat Ram Sharma, Bharathiar University Registrar (in-charge) B. Vanitha and eight Syndicate members of the university. Justice N. Kirubakaran passed the order on contempt proceedings initiated by an association of self-financing colleges. The judge suo motu included the Syndicate members too in the list of contemnors.
He pointed out that the court had, on December 8 last year, restrained the university from operating distance education centres, through franchisees, outside the State. It was further ordered that no new admissions should be made through such centres from the academic year 2018-19 and only those who had been admitted already should be allowed to continue.
Yet, the Syndicate of the university had, on November 28 this year, passed a resolution to go in for spot admissions to distance education courses for the academic year 2018-19 alone as a special case and hence the present contempt petition. After going through the resolution, the Judge wondered how could admissions for 2018-19 be made in the month of November.
Director of Technical Education Vivekanandan, Anna University Dean M. Saravana Kumar, Principal of Kamban College of Arts and Science Chinnadurai and three professors of Bhrathiyar University G. Singaravelu, N. Jeyakumar and Ravichandran were also ordered to appear before the court on January 7.
