‘Probe former VC’s role in marks scam’

CHENNAI: Smarting under the impact of the marks scandal, Anna University last week acted against three faculty members. Sources in the university said the inquiry committee believed the three were pawns and that senior people pulled strings to get the work done. Fingers have been pointed at then vice-chancellor P Mannar Jawahar.
The committee formed to investigate the part of faculty members on the MIT and Guindy campuses recommended that a high level committee be formed by the government to conduct an inquiry into whether professor Mannar Jawahar was involved.There are allegations that he instructed faculty members to award extra marks to some students to enable them to pass semester exams.
“He has served for several years in the university. It will be more appropriate for the government to form a committee to conduct the inquiry on the involvement of professor Jawahar and other people holding top positions in the university, instead of his own colleagues being asked to do it,” said a senior academic.
Vice-chancellor P Kaliraj said the recommendations of the university committee that conducted the initial inquiry have been handed over to the state higher education department. “The government is working on conducting an inquiry,” said professor Kaliraj. In the meantime, he said, precautions would be taken to ensure such issues did not recur. “The guidelines have always been there. It is how they were implemented so far that is in question. We will tighten all rules and see that this does not happen again,” he said.
Charge sheets have been filed against former additional controller of exams P Tamilporai, former deputy controller of exams K P Mani Anand and assistant professor R Sivakoumar. They have been given a month to respond to the charges. Kaliraj said their suspension could extend to a couple of months according to the university code of conduct.