The Madras High Court on Friday extended, until further orders, an interim order restraining the Tamil Nadu government from taking any decision on an inquiry report against former vice chancellor of Anna University MK Surappa.

Justice M Govindaraj passed the orders on the plea moved by Surappa that the State government had passed a notification dated November 11,2020 constituting a commission of inquiry headed by a retired judge of the High Court, Justice P Kalaiyarasan, to probe the allegations of bribery and corruption during his tenure. This was so as the ruling dispensation was not happy with the fact that he was not toeing the line of the political masters, Surappa pleaded.

According to him, “The notification is an abuse of process of law as the very complainants do not exist, and the commission of inquiry was not appointed to inquire into the complaints received but to find out if any complaint can be made against the petitioner to harass the petitioner.”

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“Certain actions I took as a vice-chancellor and as an academician did not find favour with the Higher education secretary as these actions hurt the political agenda of the ruling dispensation,” he added. Surappa’s three-year term as Vice Chancellor came to an end a few days ago.

The State government during the hearing on Friday sought time to file an additional counter on the plea. The judge noting the earlier interim orders of a single judge extended the plea until further orders and adjourned it to June.