Madras High Court Orders CBI Probe In Waqf Board College Recruitment Case

The Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff at MSS Waqf Board College in Tamil Nadu.

Justice P Velmurugan ordered the CBI to file a report within six months on a petition which also alleged that Tamil Nadu Labour Minister Nilofer Kafeel and lawmaker Anwar Raja were involved in the irregularities.

The judge directed the state home secretary and the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) to cooperate with the CBI in the investigation.

The court issued the order on a petition by Sardhar Basha who alleged more than 30 appointments had been made in violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines and after taking huge sums of money by the in-charge secretary of the college, Jamal Mohideen, also a local leader of the ruling AIADMK party.

The petitioner alleged that Mohideen was a "benami" of Anwar Raja and had collected Rs 30-35 lakh for each appointment.

He further alleged that Mohideen had shared the amount collected with Kafeel and Raja.

The teaching faculty appointed by him had not cleared the National Eligibility Test or the State Eligibility Test, which was a violation of the UGC norms, the petitioner submitted.

He claimed that though he had submitted a complaint to the DVAC, no action was taken. Hence, he moved the court seeking a CBI investigation.