Trustees
Mr. Panchu, whose name is synonymous with CAG, is one of the organisation's founding trustees. He is a Senior Advocate of the High Court and Supreme Court. Seeking legal redress for consumer and citizen problems through public interest litigations (PILs) were his brainchild. He is acknowledged as a pioneer of mediation in India and from the 1990s, has been mediating cases and creating awareness about the concept of mediation through his writings and speeches. He was instrumental in creating India's first court-annexed mediation centre at Chennai, a model replicated by other Courts in the country. A prolific public speaker and writer, Mr. Panchu was a Trustee of CAG for the first 12 years and steered the direction of the group. He continued to being its advisor till he rejoined as trustee in January 2015.
Dr. Suchitra Ramkumar completed her degree in Medicine and worked in primary health care settings. She is a trained counsellor and has worked with many groups of disadvantaged children, with child sexual abuse and in career guidance. She has been a teacher for over 18 years, largely with the KFI (Krishnamurthi Foundation of India). She now works as a special educator and counsellor for children with dyslexia, supports various NGO's with their endeavours, and facilitates teacher training.
Dr. Hema is a PhD in Econometrics from the University of Madras and went on to do her post doctoral fellowship in University of California, Berkeley. She has been involved in a lot of research in the area of energy, electricity and local infrastructure. She has been teaching microeconomics at the Madras School of Economics (MSE), Chennai for more than a decade. She has numerous publications to her credit and has also authored a book, Topics in Applied Economics: Tools, Issues and Institutions, (co-editor with G. Mythili), Academic Foundation, New Delhi, Jan 2005.
A renowned Orthopaedic Surgeon and currently attached to St. Isabel's Hospital, Chennai, Dr. George Thomas has more than two decades of rich experience in the field. He has been the editor of the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics and has written many articles on the topic of medical ethics.
Dr. C. Rammanohar Reddy is a management graduate from IIM-C and holds a PhD in Economics from the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram/JNU, New Delhi. He has been in journalism since 1988, first with the Deccan Herald in Bangalore and then with The Hindu in Chennai. Since 2004, he has been the Editor of the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW), India's leading journal in the social sciences and public policy.
Dr. Sandeep Murali is a distinguished surgeon with over two decades of experience in general and gastrointestinal surgery. He currently serves as Director and Consultant Surgeon at Seethapathy Clinic and Hospital, and as Consultant Surgeon at Voluntary Health Services Hospital, Chennai. An Additional Professor of Surgery at Raga’s Dental College, Dr. Murali is a recipient of numerous academic honors and has a special interest in surgical gastroenterology, minimal access surgery, oncology, and surgical education.
Mr. K. Phanindra Reddy is a retired IAS officer (1990 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre). Over his career, he has held key roles in urban development, water management, and public administration. As Collector of Perambalur, he pioneered women’s self-help groups through Anganwadi workers. He later served as MD/CEO of Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited, managing major World Bank, KfW, and JICA projects, and chaired the State Finance Commission. As Member Secretary of the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust, he led the restoration of the Adyar Creek. As Principal Secretary, he introduced faecal sludge management, desalination and stormwater projects, and launched the Sustainable Water Security Mission.
He has also led the Handlooms, HR&CE, Revenue, Commercial Taxes, and Home, Prohibition & Excise Departments, implementing reforms such as the 7th Pay Commission for temple staff, cyclone relief operations, stronger GST enforcement, and the Online Gambling Prohibition Act and in his final posting as Additional Chief Secretary, Transport and Natural Resources Management, he has driven CNG bus conversions, logistics expansion, and digital permit systems to curb illegal mining.
Advisors
Mr. N. L. Rajah graduated in law from Madras Law College and is a Senior Advocate. He has taken initiative to bring several public issues for legal redress. He was president of the Madras Consumer Courts Bar Association and is co-author of the book "The Law of Consumer Protection". Mr.Rajah was a trustee at CAG for 12 years from 2002 till 2014. He continues to guide CAG as Advisor.
Past Trustees and Advisors
Ms. Tara Murali was a long-term Trustee, Advisor, friend and mentor of CAG. For over 40 years, she was an Associate Architect in ‘Bharath and Associates’, a premier architect’s firm in Chennai. She was the Secretary of Indian Institute of Architects, Tamil Nadu Chapter and Vice President of the Palani Hills Conservation Council. She was a member of the Governing Council of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage). She was also a non-official member of the Madras High Court-appointed monitoring committee of CMDA (Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority).
K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty is a retired IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu Cadre of the 1983 batch. Starting out as Sub Collector, Hosur in 1985, Mr. Shetty held a number of key assignments including Registrar of the University of Madras; Deputy Commissioner (Commercial Taxes), Madras North; District Collector, Villupuram; Director of Rural Development; Managing Director, TASMAC; Secretary, Chief Minister’s Secretariat; Managing Director, SAGOSERVE, Salem; Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department; Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, among others.
Mr. Keshav Desiraju held posts in the government such as Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs and Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare. He spent many years working in the health and education sectors and subsequently remained engaged with several NGOs working in those areas.
Dr. Arjun Rajagopalan completed his bachelor’s degree in Medicine from Madras Medical College, Chennai and his postgraduate training in surgery from St. Francis Hospital and the Loyola University Medical Center, USA. He was Trustee and Medical Director & Head, Department of Surgery at Sundaram Medical Foundation, a multi-speciality hospital in Chennai. He is a lucid writer and speaker on health care issues and policies.
Ms. Nithya Raman has a BA in political theory from Harvard University and a Masters in Urban Planning from MIT. She has published widely on urban planning and urban policies, especially on access to land tenure and services for the urban poor. She founded Transparent Chennai in 2009, a project that created maps and data about issues facing the urban poor.
Ms. Santha Sheela Nair is a highly respected retired IAS officer from the 1973 batch, recognized for transformative impact on public administration in Tamil Nadu and India. She was the first woman district collector of Trichy, later serving as Secretary to the Government of India, and after retirement, Vice Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission. Ms.Nair is acclaimed as the architect of Tamil Nadu’s pioneering rainwater harvesting legislation, which played a major role in averting Chennai’s water crisis and influencing national policy. Her long career included key leadership during the 2004 tsunami relief, reforms in water resource management, support for agricultural and poultry development, and extensive work on nutritious grains and sustainability. She received awards such as the Dr. Verghese Kurien Sustainable Development Award for her outstanding contributions.
Dr. Saranya Nandakumar retired as Director of Lister Laboratory. She also held the position of Director, Founder Trustee and head of the Department of Microbiology of Jeevan Blood Bank and Research Centre. For a brief period she was at Asia Cryo Cell Private Limited but later returned as Medical Director to Jeevan Stem Cell Bank.
Mr. A.K. Venkat Subramanian, a retired civil servant, joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1964 after teaching in Loyola College for 4 years. From 1974, he held important offices in the state and central governments. He served as Collector of undivided Ramanathapuram in the year 1974, as Secretary, Planning and Development and then, Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection (state government) and later, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.
Dr. M. Anandakrishnan completed his master’s and doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota, USA. He then worked at the Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur and at the embassy of India, Washington. He was also with the Advisory Committee on Science & Technology for Development at the United Nations before he returned to Chennai and took over the mantle as Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Chennai. He was the Chairman of the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies and also advisor to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Information Technology and e-Governance.
Mr. Lawrence Surendra is a chemical engineer and specialized in environmental and development economics. Mr. Surendra has been involved with several academic institutions and environmental organisations around the world. Earlier, he worked with the UN-ESCAP Regional Office in Bangkok and taught at the Dag Hammarskjold Foundation, Uppsala, Sweden.
Justice Prabha Sridevan retired as judge of the Madras High Court. Before being called to the bench, Justice Prabha Sridevan practised as an advocate. She wrote regularly in newspapers on issues concerning women, the transgender community and other marginalized groups of people.
Dr. Ambirajan, an expert in the area of socio-economic studies, taught in institutions worldwide including University of Manchester, University of Queensland and IIT- Madras. As a trustee of CAG, Dr. Ambirajan brought an intellectual quality to the discussions, even while interspersing it with his wry humour. He was an academic, blunt speaker and enthusiastic activist – all rolled into one. He liked to travel by bus everywhere and visited less affluent neighbourhoods on foot saying these experiences gave him an insight into the life of the common man.
Mr. Roy, an expert in fisheries, served as a consultant to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its Bay of Bengal Project.
Ms. Rao was the first Executive Director of CAG and was instrumental in several of its initial initiatives. For many years, Ms. Rao single handedly guided CAG and made it a professional organization. She also helped in setting up CCC – a national coalition of consumer organisations – headquartered at Delhi.
Mr. C .V. Narasimhan joined the Indian Police Service in 1948. His service included senior posts in Tamil Nadu state police and later under the central government. It included the posts of Joint Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, and Member Secretary of the National Police Commission. He retired in 1983 as Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu. His activities after retirement chiefly concerned educational programs for school children.
Mr. Panikar was a former Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. He also served as Chairman of TIDCO. He retired as the Chairman of the State Planning Commission.
Ms. Badar Sayeed is a senior advocate, legislator, and activist from Chennai known for her pioneering work in women's rights, minority welfare, and legal reform. She began her journey in public leadership in the 1960s and went on to become the first woman to chair the Tamil Nadu Wakf Board and the Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission. Throughout her 38-year legal career, she has championed causes for bonded laborers, victims of violence, and prisoners’ rights. She founded the NGO ROSHNI, focusing on women’s education and empowerment. Ms. Sayeed also served as Additional Advocate General of Tamil Nadu and was elected MLA for Triplicane in 2006. She is respected for initiating key legal challenges, such as a PIL against triple talaq practices at the Madras High Court. Her enduring commitment and close association with civic groups like CAG underscore her vital role in advancing social justice in Tamil Nadu.
Dr. Nataraj was one of the first trustees of CAG. She worked within editorial and reporting capacities with Gemini News Service, International Press Service and the Indian Express group. Later, she worked as the Director, South India AIDS Action Programme.
Dr. Rao was one of the first trustees of CAG. He served as the first Chairman of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and as the Director General of National Council of Applied Economic Research and also worked with the Institute of Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.
Mr. S. Guhan was also one of the first trustees of CAG. He retired from the IAS after holding key positions in the State and in the Centre. He was a former Finance Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. With his knowledge of economics, experience in administration and understanding of the ways of the government, he was an invaluable member of the CAG Board of Trustees. He brought idealism, hope and capacity for action to the organisation, proving age only meant more experience and not a diminution of energy.
Mr. Swaminadhan was a founder trustee of CAG, offering CAG much needed direction in its initial years. A barrister-at-law and a crown prosecutor, Mr.Swaminadhan was an outstanding lawyer with a capacity for fearless advocacy while respecting the judiciary. Having served as the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, he knew all too well the nuances related to government functions and continuously came up with recommendations to improve them. He was involved in the Boards of a number of educational institutions including the National Law School at Bangalore.