Lecturer removed by HC is a Fulbright scholar

CHENNAI: The order of a division bench of the Madras high court setting aside the appointment of Antony Savari Raj, senior lecturer in the department of philosophy at the University of Madras, has surprised many considering that he has several feathers on his cap.
Raj, in fact, will be leaving for the United States in January next as a Fulbright Visiting Lecturer and handle classes for a semester at the George Mason University.
While none is disputing the court's ruling that his postgraduate degree was not awarded by an institution recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), they are arguing that the Master of Philosophy (M.Ph) qualification obtained by him from the Pune-based Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, a pontifical institute of philosophy and religion, was approved by the University of Madras's board of studies, curriculum development committee and the syndicate during 1989-90 itself.
In December 2003, Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla while dismissing a petition challenging Raj's appointment had held that the university syndicate was vested with the ultimate powers to recognise any qualification as equivalent to the examination conducted by it. "I had subjected my postgraduate qualification for recognition of the university for a full year before qualifying to pursue my M.Phil and at every stage the syllabus that I had studied was approved," said Raj.
"Justice Kalifulla had in fact said that my postgraduate course would hold good for all time to come and the same cannot be restricted to the pursuance of my M.Phil course alone," he added.
Supporting his view, a senior lecturer said "Raj is one of the best scholars in our university. "He had taught at the George Town University in Washington DC for a year under the Woodstock International Visiting Fellowship and the University of Bristol in UK for three months as a visiting Charles Wallace Fellow. Besides, he is a visiting faculty in philosophy in several leading institutions including the IIT Madras," said his colleague.
"I will be appealing against this verdict in the Supreme Court," said Raj, whose area of expertise includes intercultural philosophy, cross cultural philosophy of religion, modern western philosophy and eco-philosophy.
suresh.kumar3@timesgroup.com