Information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) did not give any order or approval for appointing R. Mohan as Principal in-charge of American College in Madurai.
The Action Committee for Protecting American College Constitution, which has been opposing the interference of CSI Bishop in college management, has released the information provided by government authorities on the college Principal appointment issue.
In a reply to the applicant, which was received on Wednesday, it was informed that the college governing council president A. Christopher Asir, who is also the CSI Bishop, in a letter dated 1 December, 2010 to the DCE, had informed that Dr. Mohan was appointed as Principal-in-charge of American College.
“From the office of the Directorate of Collegiate Education, appointment approval order was not given to him,” said the information letter.
Taking up on this matter, the Action Committee members said that the claims of the Bishop, who was all along saying that the appointment of Dr. Mohan was cleared by the government, were proved wrong.
“As per the Constitution of the 130-year-old American College, the Bishop has no say in this college. He is not the appointing authority for any post in the college. The RTI letter is an important document for us in our fight to free this institution from the Bishop's interference,” D. Samuel Lawrence, former Vice-Principal of the college and Action Committee member, said.
P. T. Chellappa, former Principal, said at a press conference here on Wednesday that the present/former faculty along with alumni and civil society would work together for the sake of this premier college and also take legal steps based on the latest RTI details.
The Action Committee has circulated papers citing the salient features of the American College constitution and how the institution was “plunged into a crisis because of some events engineered by the Bishop to take control of the college.” It has said that the college has never been church-controlled and it does not belong to the CSI Diocese as claimed by the present Bishop of Madurai-Ramnad Diocese Christopher Asir.“The governing council meeting called by the Bishop or his nominees is invalid. The Bishop on his own issued an order to Dr. Mohan to be Principal in-charge, which is against the college constitution,” the Action Committee pointed out.
Dr. Samuel Lawrence emphasised that the American College was not for Christians alone and not under the control of the church. “The founding fathers of the college wanted it like that and this college belongs to everybody irrespective of religion or caste,” he said.
Calling for the support of all sections of people in its fight to protect the institution's independence and individuality, the Action Committee feared that transparency/merit in appointments and admissions would be a casualty if the Bishop and his group got control.
Published - March 24, 2011 12:26 am IST
