Association of University Teachers says Mr. Subramani continues to serve as a government nominee on the Syndicate. As such, he should not simultaneously aspire to be the Registrar.

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Periyar University Vice-Chancellor (V-C) In-Charge Committee member R. Subramani, who had applied for the post of Registrar but continued on the committee nevertheless, resigned from the panel on Thursday evening.The Hindu had carried reports on the Association of University Teachers (AUT) seeking action against Mr. Subramani for applying for the post. The AUT is now demanding action against Registrar (Full Additional Charge) V. Raj for issuing a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to Mr. Subramani.AUT general secretary K. Raja said the association welcomed Mr. Subramani’s resignation from the V-C In-Charge Committee on grounds of ethical propriety and conflict of interest. However, Mr. Subramani continued to serve as a government nominee on the Syndicate. As a member of the Syndicate, an ‘authority’ of the university, he should not simultaneously aspire to be the Registrar.Likewise, another syndicate member, R. Sekar, had also applied for the post of Registrar. The AUT urged the Department of Higher Education to ensure that these individuals either continued as members of the Syndicate or remained applicants for the post of Registrar, but not both at the same time.It is a matter of public record that E. Sundaravalli, who was serving as the Commissioner of Collegiate Education (CCE) and Convenor of the V-C In-Charge Committee, was relieved of her office on June 3. The incumbent CCE, P. Ponnaiah, assumed charge as CCE on June 4 but took over as Convenor of V-C In-Charge Committee only on June 24. The NOC issued to Mr. Subramani by Mr. Raj is dated June 17.This raised an important question: who approved the issuance of the NOC on that date (June 17)? Ms. Sundaravalli, who had already relinquished the office, or P. Ponnaiah, who was yet to assume charge as Convenor? Furthermore, the NOC issued by Mr. Raj contains no reference to any approval, resolution or order from the Convenor.In the absence of such authorisation, the NOC appeared to have been issued without the approval or order from a competent authority. It therefore, prima facie, constituted a unilateral and clandestine exercise of power by Mr. Raj and amounted to an abuse of the authority vested in him as Registrar.The AUT demanded a thorough inquiry into Mr. Raj’s actions in issuing an allegedly unauthorised and illegal NOC to Mr. Subramani and appropriate action against those responsible.When contacted, Mr. Raj said the NOC was issued to Mr. Subramani based on an approval from the Commissioner of Collegiate Education (CCE) P. Ponnaiah. Published - July 03, 2026 08:05 pm IST