Doctorate recipient boycotts Governor Ravi, receives degree in TN varsity event from VC
Tirunelveli, Aug 13 (PTI): A woman recipient of a doctorate boycotted Governor R N Ravi in the convocation ceremony held here on Wednesday by Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.
While varsity top officials including Vice Chancellor N Chandrasekar stood near the Governor on the dais, recipients of degrees arrived on the dais one by one and they gave their certificates to Ravi, posed for photographs and received the degree from him.
However, a recipient of a doctorate, who later identified herself as Jean Rajan walked past Ravi, gave her degree to Chandrasekar and received it from him.
Governor Ravi, even before Rajan moved away from him, gestured her to stand beside him and take her degree. However, she apparently ignored the gesture.
Speaking to reporters, Rajan demanded to know what has the governor done for the state. She said it was her degree and it was hence, her choice to decide from whom she should receive it.
She alleged the Governor worked against "Tamil and Tamil Nadu" and it was annoying and hence, she did not wish to receive her degree from him.
Though the VC told her on the dais to receive her degree from Governor, she was not inclined to do that. Jean Rajan said she worked for a company in Nagercoil as a senior manager.
She said she believed in the "Dravidian model" and her decision was based on that. Reportedly, Jean Rajan’s husband is an office-bearer of the ruling DMK in Nagercoil town.
Varsity officials including Registrar J Sacratees took part in the function.
Ph.D. scholar Jean Joseph refuses to receive her degree from #TamilNadu Governor #RNRavi during the 32nd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University held on Wednesday. Instead, she received the degree from Vice Chancellor N. Chandrasekar.
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) August 13, 2025
"As the Governor is working against… pic.twitter.com/aG2YzOdCPL
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'Sarke Chunar' row: Sanjay Dutt apologises; to sponsor education of 50 tribal girls
New Delhi (PTI): Actor Sanjay Dutt on Monday appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with the controversy over the song 'Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke' and submitted a written apology, expressing regret for any "unintended" harm caused to society.
During the hearing, held under NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission raised concerns over alleged vulgarity and indecent representation of women in the song from the movie "KD The Devil" and questioned issues of intent, awareness and accountability.
The chairperson emphasised whether adequate due diligence was undertaken before participating in content that could be perceived as promoting objectification of women, while also underlining the responsibility of senior and influential public figures in ensuring that their work remains within the bounds of legal and societal standards.
As a corrective measure, Dutt committed to sponsoring the education of 50 tribal girl children as part of efforts towards social welfare and women's empowerment, the NCW said in a statement.
He also assured the commission that his future artist agreements would include mandatory legal due diligence provisions to ensure dignified and appropriate representation of women and children in films and related creative projects.
Actor Nora Fatehi, who was also summoned, could not appear as she is currently abroad and has sought a fresh date for the hearing.
On April 6, other individuals associated with the song, including director Kiran Kumar alias Prem, lyricist Raqueeb Alam and representatives of KVN Production Company Gautam K M and Suprith, appeared before the commission and submitted their apologies.
The NCW underscored that while artistic freedom is important, it must be exercised with responsibility and sensitivity, reiterating the need for accountability in content reaching wide public audiences and reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the dignity and representation of women.
The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, drew public ire for its sexually explicit lyrics.
After the outrage, the makers deleted the Hindi version of the song from YouTube, although it was widely played and shared across various platforms.
Fatehi, in a video later, distanced herself from the song, saying she shot the video for the Kannada version and her permission was not taken to use it in the Hindi version. The lyricist, singer and the director also apologised.
The issue was brought up in Lok Sabha during Question Hour by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Anand Bhadoria last month.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song was already banned and the government was ready to take action against such vulgarity.
"KD The Devil" is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will release on April 30. The film features Dhruva Sarja, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, and Dutt.
