Former J&K CJ to appoint principals for colleges under Pachaiyappa’s Trust Board

CHENNAI: In a major blow to Pachaiyappa’s Trust Board, the Madras High Court on Monday dismissed the appeals moved by it challenging the order of a single judge quashing the appointment of principal to Pachaiyappa’s college in Kilpauk as well as four other colleges run by it.

A division bench comprising Justice R Subbaiah and Justice C Saravanan while dismissing the appeal also appointed former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Paul Vasanthakumar to form a selection committee and appoint principals to all the colleges run by the Board within three months. The bench also upheld the single judge’s order directing the interim administrator to investigate the complaints of corrupt activities in the process of selection and file appropriate complaint before the Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

The single judge Justice SM Subramaniam had set aside the appointment of Dr N Shettu as Principal of the Pachaiyappa’s College in Kilpauk and four other colleges, while allowing a batch of writ petitions from Dr R Nanthini and six others challenging the appointment. “Courts cannot remain as a mute spectator in respect of such large-scale irregularities and illegalities in the matter of selection to the higher post of Principal of a college as the salaries are being disbursed from the tax-payers’ coffers,” the single judge had held.

He had also noted that the appointment to the post of principal for four colleges, were done in violation of the statute by treating all the colleges as one unit leading to conclude that the entire selection was conducted not in consonance with the statutes, and regulations and more specifically on extraneous considerations, the judge added.