Tamil Nadu has earned the "distinction" of becoming the first State in the country where a Vice-Chancellor of a University was arrested red-handed while taking bribe for appointing an applicant as an assistant professor.
A Ganapathi, Vice Chancellor, Bharatiyar University, was arrested by the sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Saturday from his official bungalow while receiving Rs 30 lakh as bribe from a candidate who had applied for the post of assistant professor in the university.
The applicant who was told by Ganapathi that nothing short of Rs 30 lakh will do had contacted the DVAC which laid a trap and an unsuspecting Vice-Chancellor walked into it. The DVAC team also arrested Prof Dharmaraj, a University staff, who is alleged to have facilitated the deal. The applicant had handed over to Ganapathi cash worth Rs 1 lakh and a cheque for Rs 29 lakh. Swarnalatha, wife of Ganapathi too was arrested on charges of attempting to destroy evidence.
Ganapathi’s arrest has vindicated the statements made by S Ramadoss, founder of the PMK and his son Anbumani Ramadoss who were waging a war against massive corruption in the department of higher education. Ganapathi and Dharmaraj were sent to judicial custody till February 16 by the DVAC court in Coimbatore.
This case should be probed by a Special Investigation Team of the CBI. The probe should not be confined to this incident alone. All appointments made in the past to the posts of vice-chancellors, head of the departments, professors, assistant professors should be probed by the SIT,” Dr Ramadoss told the media on Monday.
It may be noted that Dr Anbumani Ramadoss MP, had submitted a memorandum to Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit listing 24 charges of massive corruption against the DMK and the AIADMK governments. He had stated in the memorandum that the posts of vice-chancellors were being sold at prices ranging from Rs 3 crore to Rs 20 crore depending on the size of the university.
“After our representation to the then governor in 2015, Vice Chancellors to University of Madras, Madurai Kamaraj University, Bharathiar University, Mananonmaniam Sundaranar University, Mother Teresa University, Thiruvalluvar University, Tamil Nadu Open University, TN Education University, Fisheries University and Medical University were appointed. It is alleged that at least anywhere between Rs 3 crore to 20 crore must have changed hands in each of those appointments,” said the memorandum submitted by Dr Ramadoss to the Governor on December 9.
Interestingly, the memorandum had mentioned that the going rate for the post of assistant professor was Rs 30 lakh. “In the 13 universities in the department of higher education, 800 appointments have been made in which Rs 30 lakhs for Assistant Professor , Rs 40 lakh for Associate Professor and Rs 55 lakh for professor have been received as bribe amounting to a staggering Rs 320 crores,” said the memorandum. It had listed in the memorandum, 24 charges of massive corruption against various departments of the government running to nearly Rs 10 lakh crore.
Prof M Ananthakrishnan, educationist and former chairman of the IIT Kanpur governing council had lambasted the DMK government (2006-2011) for “auctioning” vice-chancellorship of Universities in the State. “Only persons willing to shell out Rs 7.5 crore or more are appointed as Vice Chancellors,” he had declared. The then DMK government had instantly removed him from the post of chairman of Science City.