Periyar University has recirculated a June 17 agenda to re-employ Tamil professor S. Velayuthan from July 1 to March 31, 2027, reviving a proposal Syndicate members had deferred in March pending legal consultation.
AUT Tamil Nadu said the move fits a pattern of allegedly illegal re-employment for favored teachers retiring in June, while similarly placed faculty were denied extensions between 2022 and 2026.
K. Raja said the latest extension alone would cost the public exchequer ₹26 lakh, and former PUTA president V. Vaithianathan alleged bribery influenced re-employment decisions since 2022.
The dispute already features in an interim report by a government-appointed inquiry committee led by IAS officer S. Palanisamy, which recorded the June-retirement re-employment issue.
A senior university official said the next step will depend on the Syndicate's decision and consent from the convenor and higher education secretary, as teachers' groups press for a high-level state inquiry.