The Governor and Chancellor, R N Ravi, has ordered an inquiry into the alleged irregular appointments at the Thanjavur-based Tamil University. Former Judge of the Madras High Court Justice M Jaichandren will head the inquiry.

Sources said that the inquiry order was issued on 19 November along with the order suspending Vice-Chancellor V Thiruvalluan from service. It is alleged that 40 academicians, including professors, associate professors and assistant professors, were appointed violating norms in 2017 and 2018.

The probe will cover the actions of Thiruvalluvan who declared probation for the said 40 faculty members without acting on the report of expert committee. It is alleged he overlooked the statutes as well as directions issued by the governor regarding the expert committee's recommendations.

Also, two public interest petitions concerning the appointments were pending in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court when he took arbitrary actions. The inquiry, which has been ordered under the Tamil University Act, 1982, will also propose further action on the breach of rules.

The then-governor in 2021 had instructed the university administration to constitute an expert committee to go into allegations of irregularities of appointments.

In its report submitted to the governor's office on August 11, 2021, the three-member expert committee listed a series of deviations in the appointments including not adhering to communal roster, appointment of unqualified personnel, downgrading of posts without valid reasons and careless totalling of marks by selection committees.

The committee went on to detail the deviation of norms in appointing 34 faculties including 12 Professors, 13 Associate Professors and nine Assistant Professors.