The AUT has alleged fraud in the search for the new VC to Bharathiyar University. It said that the election to the senate search committee was flawed. The allegation has serious implications as it affects the entire process undertaken to elect a new vice-chancellor for the university.
"The VC ensured that his own man was elected as the search panel member of the senate," said C Pitchandy, general secretary, AUT. However, when contacted, Swaminathan said all due democratic process was followed in the elections to the search panel of both the senate and the syndicate.
In a press release, the AUT said it will write to the governor, who is the chancellor of the university, to reorganise the election process. The allegations and counter-allegations are being made against the backdrop of the election of S Saravanakumar, owner of Cumbum College of Arts and Science, as the senate search committee member.
The election was hotly contested by the AUT, whose candidate N Chenthamarai took only 65 votes while the candidate allegedly put up by the VC won 114 votes.
The AUT argues that the senate elections were fixed to favour the VC after the syndicate elections were decided unanimously. The higher education secretary had nominated the syndicate candidate to the search panel for choosing the VC and he had been elected unopposed.
According to the AUT, Saravanakumar is too inexperienced to be the senate search committee member, but the VC sees it as a pure battle of ballots. "In a democracy, the losing party should not grumble. I don't understand what the hue and cry is about. I know both candidates - Chenthamarai and Saravanakumar - very well. How can they say only Saravanakumar will propose my name when he hasn't even done so?" asked the VC.
The AUT also accused the VC of destroying the moral fibre of the senate and mobilising voters to win a numbers game.
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