HC orders CBI probe into alleged corruption in MKU

Madurai: Madras high court on Wednesday ordered CBI to probe allegations of corruption in Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU). A division bench of Justice G Jayachandran and Justice K K Ramakrishnan passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by G Venkateshan of Madurai.The petitioner stated that serious irregularities were brought to his knowledge by students and staff of MKU. These allegations pertain to S V Gomathi, who joined the university in Aug 2013 as a junior clerk on compassionate grounds, drawing a salary of Rs 10,000 per month. Gomathi became an influential person within the university administration, allegedly colluding with certain officials. She was appointed to several positions and was presently serving as a superintendent in a section in the university.He stated that she acquired several immovable assets disproportionate to her known sources of income. It was alleged that she collected bribes from private DDE centre coordinators, facilitated evasion of mandatory fees payable to MKU, issued certificates in return for illegal gratification, enabled unlawful college admissions and appointments, leaked internal university documents, and collected bribes to influence college inspection reports and grant of affiliations.The petitioner stated that despite the university being aware of these allegations, no proper disciplinary action was taken against her. She was merely transferred to another department under the guise of punishment. Even after the transfer, she allegedly collected exorbitant sums from research scholars and faculty members in Mathematics department for thesis-writing assistance and facilitating PhD admissions.He stated that he lodged a detailed complaint before DVAC in 2025, along with specific dates of bank transactions and details of immovable assets acquired by her. DVAC issued a communication stating that the petition was forwarded to the university for further action and it could not proceed with any investigation. The university issued a reply in Jan 2026 stating there was no prima facie evidence to substantiate the allegations against Gomathi and the matter was closed. The manner in which the complaint was mechanically closed clearly indicated that the university was shielding her.He stated that when serious allegations of corruption, abuse of official position, and disproportionate assets were raised against a public servant in a state-funded university, the authorities were duty-bound to ensure a fair, impartial, and independent inquiry. Hence, he moved court seeking a direction to the authorities to constitute a special committee to conduct an impartial and time-bound inquiry into the allegations of corruption in MKU.