Sat Nov 15 18:54:05 UTC 2025: News Article:

Anna University Officials and Private Colleges Face Corruption Charges in Affiliation Scam

Chennai, India – November 16, 2025 – The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has filed a criminal case against ten individuals, including current and former Anna University officials and faculty, as well as personnel from private engineering colleges, for alleged corruption and malpractice in granting affiliations to ineligible institutions. The scandal centers around the 2023-24 academic year.

The First Information Report (FIR) alleges a criminal conspiracy between members of Anna University’s Centre of Affiliation of Institutions (CAI), private college administrators, and faculty to fraudulently grant affiliation to private engineering colleges that did not meet established criteria.

The core of the alleged scheme involved misrepresenting the number of qualified faculty members employed by these colleges. Investigators claim that over 350 individuals were illegally listed as full-time faculty at multiple institutions simultaneously, a direct violation of All India Institute for Technical Education (AICTE) regulations. This duplication was identified in 224 out of 480 engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, representing approximately 47% of Anna University-affiliated institutions.

According to the FIR, colleges created “ghost faculty” profiles to artificially inflate staff numbers and avoid salary expenses. The CAI inspection teams allegedly knowingly submitted false reports to facilitate the affiliations. The DVAC argues that a proper verification process by the CAI Standing Committee would have easily revealed the widespread duplication.

Those named in the FIR include A. Elayaperumal, former Director of Affiliation Department, Anna University (now Director of National Institute of Technology, Nagaland); several Deputy Directors of the CAI including M. Chitra, D. Shiloah Elizabeth, S. Marshal Anthoni, V. Malathi, S. Brahadeeswaran, S. Silas Sargunam; Registrars G. Ravikumar and J. Prakash; CAI Director V.R. Giridev, along with faculty members from Prathyusha Engineering College, Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering and Technology, Madha Engineering College, and Kathir College of Engineering.

The investigation is ongoing, with authorities focusing on potential violations of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Read More