Salem Periyar University’s Vice Chancellor R Jagannathan was arrested on charges of fraud by the Karuppur police, on Tuesday, December 26. According to media reports Jagannathan has allegedly forged several documents and was involved in fraudulent activities related to the university’s construction works. He is also accused of opening doors to investors for a private company that he runs along with his associates, while holding office as the vice chancellor. According to reports he exploited his position as the VC and used government officers to float his private company.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed by the Karuppur police based on the complaint filed by Elangovan, who is a legal advisor to the labour association at the university. An inquiry is also underway.
Jagannathan is an agriculture expert who has authored one book and has published 55 research papers. He completed his M.Sc in Agriculture and Ph.D at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. He was previously a Member of Academic Council and Board of Studies at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, and also an academic Council member and Chairman, Board of Studies at Paavai Engineering College in Namakkal.
He has also co-authored four books. He has been teaching for over 40 years and was posted as the VC of Periyar University in 2021. He previously held office as the Dean at the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University in Coimbatore.
More details are awaited.