Having demitted his office as Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious Anna University after a three-year tumultuous journey, Prof. M K Surappa feels he has played a “significant role” in ushering in transparency in the appointment of faculty and admission of students under various quotas.
In a conversation with DH after his term ended on April 11, the Mysuru-born Surappa said he just went by the statute of the institute by establishing base with Centre on the question of Institute of Excellence (IoE), as mobilising funds for the development of the university was one of the tasks bestowed to the V-C.
Branded as an “outsider” from the time he was appointed as V-C in April 2018, Surappa had several run-ins with the state government, more so in the last year of his tenure when he came under attack for “unilaterally” writing to the Centre on issues of funding and IoE status for the university.
“I did not have any confrontation (with the state government). It is a clear misunderstanding. I was simply doing my job according to established rules of the university, and I never deviated from my path. I brought in significant changes in the functioning of the university. One can compare the situation now and what it was ten years back,” Surappa said.
“If someone interprets my doing the job as per rules as a confrontation, it is not my problem,” the former V-C, who has been associated with Indian Institute of Sciences, Bengaluru for long, added.
Surappa said he is happy with the “significant changes” that the varsity has undergone in the past three years. “Not just the quota, but there was transparency everywhere. The University has now moved many notches up in world rankings,” he added.
However, his tenure came under a cloud in November last year when the Tamil Nadu government constituted an inquiry against Surappa on allegations of corruption by misusing funds allotted to the institution and by collecting bribes during recruitment of temporary teaching staff.
“I have refuted all allegations against me, and I have been quite surprised and shocked. However, the commission appointed for the purpose is on the job, and let them complete the inquiry. I do not want to say more on this issue,” Surappa said.
On the controversy over writing a letter to the Centre directly, “circumventing” the state government, Surappa said as V-C of the varsity, he is allowed to talk to secretaries of various departments and officials of the Centre in the interest of the institution.
“I really do not need anyone's permission to talk to the Centre. I went by the rules which allows me to raise funds for the university. There was no question of circumventing anyone when I wrote or spoke to someone (in Delhi). Only when I use the state government's money, I need their permission,” he said.