NS Santhosh Kumar, vice chancellor (VC) of the state-run Dr Ambedkar Law University in Tamil Nadu, has been accused of fabricating certificates and producing false information to secure the VC post in 2021. The allegation was made by the Tamil Nadu Universities/Colleges SC/ST Teachers Association on May 2, in a complaint given to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, who is also the Chancellor of state-run universities. Santhosh Kumar has refuted these allegations in detail. His full rebuttal has been added at the end of this article.
According to the complaint, Santhosh falsely claimed that he visited at least five foreign countries for international academic events and organised an international event at Ambedkar University in 2017. It also alleged that he falsely claimed that he was the convenor of the Consumer Law and Jurisprudence chair at Ambedkar University, which the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs originally chaired.
The association urged Governor Ravi to remove Santhosh, whose tenure was extended for a year this March, and called for him to be booked under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In 2021, a search committee issued a notification calling for applications to the VC position at Ambedkar Law University. Santhosh was appointed as VC on April 9, 2021, when Banwarilal Purohit was the governor of Tamil Nadu. His tenure was extended for a year, starting on April 9, 2024, by RN Ravi. It is to be noted that he was previously accused of not following the reservation policy while selecting candidates for PhD programmes.
Read: Ambedkar Law varsity VC accused of overlooking reservation policy in PhD admissions
What the law says
The government order (GO) numbered 662 issued on October 26, 2017, specified educational qualifications and experience mandated for VC candidates, keeping with the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University Act, 1996 (Tamil Nadu Act 43 of 1997). As per clause (ii) of sub-section (2-A) of section 12 of the Act, candidates should have a PhD degree in law; and not less than 20 years of experience in teaching and research in universities, postgraduate colleges, government law colleges, publicly funded research institutions, or 10 years of experience as a professor in a university system. The candidates should also have six years of experience in administrative positions as a dean, principal, or head of the department in universities, post-graduate colleges, or government law colleges. They must publish at least five research papers in the University Grants Commission (UGC) journals after acquiring PhD in law or authored at least two books (non-edited) if an adequate number of UGC-listed journals are unavailable. The candidates must publish two papers at the international level academic or research events or have experience in conducting at least one such international level academic or research event.
Santhosh’s alleged false claims
International academic visits
VC candidates needed to possess international exposure in legal education. Santhosh, in his application, mentioned that he travelled to Hong Kong and Shanghai in China on September 8, 2003. He visited Malaysia on July 31, 2008, Thailand on September 12, 2008, and Bahrain on July 1, 2019. However, the complaint revealed that he was a lecturer (senior scale) at the Government Law College in Tirunelveli during that time and he did not provide any certificates indicating an academic visit. “It is implausible for an individual to visit both Hong Kong and Shanghai, China on the same day,” the complaint noted.
Additionally, a Right to Information Act (RTI) response from the Director of Legal Studies, Chennai, said that Santhosh was on medical leave from September 1, 2003 to September 26, 2003, and no official permission was granted to him to make an international academic visit.
He continued as a senior scale lecturer in Tirunelveli till 2008 when he claimed that he made academic visits to Malaysia and Thailand. However, he failed to furnish the details of the institution visited and the nature of the academic assignment in his application. The RTI response from the Director of Legal Studies revealed that he availed earned leave from July 25, 2008, to August 1 of the same year and was on casual leave between September 11 and September 12, when he claimed that he visited Malaysia and Thailand respectively.
Santhosh did not seek permission for international academic visits to both countries from the principal of the college or the director of Legal Studies, and no permission was granted to him for such visits, the complaint noted.
On July 1, 2019, when he was the director of Legal Studies, he claimed to be in Bahrain for an academic visit. But he had signed the attendance register in the Directorate of Legal Studies office in Chennai on the same date.
It is to be noted that it was mandatory for teaching faculty to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the government to make academic visits in foreign countries. However, the RTI replies from the Director of Legal Studies revealed that no official permission was granted to him to make any such visits.
Organising international academic events
In his application, Santhosh mentioned that he organised the second International Law and Interdisciplinary Conference on “Climate Change Resilience and Disasters” on September 29, 2017 at Ambedkar University. The complaint stated that the conference was held on June 28 and 29 of 2017 and was originally organised by Professor D Gopal, who served as the Conference Director, and head of the Environmental Law and Legal Order at Ambedkar University. It said that Santhosh merely acted as a member of the Convening Committee that exercises the powers and duties of the VC in the absence of the latter.
Paper presentations at international conferences
Santhosh, in his application, claimed that he presented papers at two international conferences conducted in 2019. The papers were “The Censor Scissor: Transgressing the Lakshmanarekah” and “Maritime Security Vis-a-Vis Maritime Piracy: In Troubled Waters”, in Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, and Madurai Kamarajar University, respectively.
However, the complaint noted that the theme of the first conference was “Digital Transformation: A Cognitive Learning towards Artificial Intelligence” which is said to be unrelated to the topic that was presented by Santhosh. It also noted that the conference director Priya Rai, who posted the list of representatives from different states who were invited to the event, did not include Tamil Nadu. The complaint also noted that Santhosh was not seen in any of the photos that were from the sessions.
In the second conference, Santhosh was invited to moderate the session “International Legal Regimes in Indo-Pacific”. “The organisers specifically invited him for the role of chairing and moderating, making it implausible for the same individual to be both presenting a paper and moderating in the same session,” the complaint said, and further alleged that the handwriting of the certificates that were obtained from both international conferences bear “a striking resemblance”.
Convenor of Consumer Law and Jurisprudence chair
Santhosh also claimed that he was the convenor of the Consumer Law and Jurisprudence chair under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs from 2016 to 2018. The chair was created in 2011 and the MoU was signed between Vijayakumar, the then VC of Ambedkar University, and Manoj Parida from the Department of Consumer Affairs. The complaint alleged that he falsely claimed that he was the convenor of the 'Convenor Committee' of Consumer Law and Jurisprudence chair when there was no such committee for the chair.
Complaint calls for action
The association urged Governor Ravi to remove Santhosh Kumar from the post and to constitute a high-level committee to investigate the issue. Additionally, the association also requested Ravi to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Santhosh under section 24A of the Tamil Nadu Government Servant Conduct Rules, 1973, rule 9(1)(a) and (b) of the Tamil Nadu Pension Rules, and under the sections 177 ( furnishing false information to a public servant), 181 (false statement on oath or affirmation to public servant or person authorised to administer an oath or affirmation), 417 (cheating), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonesty, inducing delivery of property), 464 (false document), 465 (forgery), 467 (forges a document, which purports to be a valuable one), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document or electronic record) of the IPC.
Talking to TNM, Kathiravan, the president of Tamil Nadu Universities/Colleges SC/ST Teachers Association, said that there were many allegations against the current VC of the Ambedkar varsity that have been simply overlooked. “The institution that is producing the experts of the Constitution is completely neglecting the violations made by Santhosh Kumar,” he said. Even though the senate members of the varsity are judges in courts of law who know every update regarding varsities, roles of VCs, and their appointments, they overlooked this matter, he further noted.
TNM tried to reach the Governor’s office and NS Santhosh Kumar for their responses to the allegations, but is yet to receive their comments. This article will be updated once they respond to the questions.
Response from NS Santhosh Kumar, vice chancellor of Dr Ambedkar Law University denying the allegations against him
1. Before going abroad 23 years ago, I have obtained permission from then Director of Legal Studies orally since the duration of my academic assignment was just one or two days, which was the practice during that time. Now it has been strengthened, and written permission is compulsory. When I visited Bahrain in 2019, I obtained permission in writing from the government, which these complainants do not know. I also have my passport copy with a stamp from my Hong Kong and Shanghai visits.
2. When I was acting as in-charge Vice Chancellor (as chairman of a Convener commitee) or even as a full-fledged VC, the legal presumption is that all conference and chair activities are carried on by me, because I have to take the responsibility of each and every move of the conference, chair or the university including the allocation of people for these assignments . Accordingly, if any conference is conducted, the legal presumption is that it is being conducted by me only. That's the regular practice in all the universities. So I claimed so accordingly, which was accepted by the nodal agency committee, search Committee headed by a former High Court judge, a committee comprising two former VCs, and later even by the Raj Bhavan.
3. We have strictly followed the reservation policy of the Tamil Nady government which was accepted by courts in many cases including the one recently decided by a division bench of the Madurai bench of the HC led by Justice Suresh Kumar. Then, on what basis are they alleging that I have violated reservation norms? The same procedure was followed in PhD admissions by the Research Director.
4. Coming to the international conferences in Punjab and Madurai, wherein I have submitted papers, incidentally some of the professors who are working now in our university were also with me in Madurai a paper presenters at that same conference.
5. No Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs can become the convenor of the Consumer Law and Jurisprudence chair at Ambedkar University solely because it is a Union government-sponsored chair. The VC remains the custodian of that chair as long as he occupies the chair of VC at the time. The VC even has the power to dissolve the chair.
I am sure that the allegations were made by a certain group under the instigation of those aspiring for the VC position, whose plans were hampered due to the one-year extension of my tenure by the Hon’ble Governor. Otherwise, they would have raised these issues three years back itself, as soon as I was appointed as VC. The same thing happened to my predecessor VCs including Mr Vanagamudi and Mr Sastri.
Prof Santhoshkumar
VC, Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University,
Chennai