Kerala varsity to move court against Governor’s stay on appointment

A popular Kerala varsity decided to move the court against the Governor’s—also the university chancellor—decision to halt an associate professor appointment.

Kannur University petitioned the court against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s stay order on appointing Priya Varghese as an associate professor. Varghese is the wife of K K Ragesh, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s private secretary.

The varsity’s petition was unusual because the Governor, acting as the chancellor of the states’ universities, stayed the appointment over the alleged nepotism in Varghese’s appointment into Kannur University’s Malayalam department.

It was a fresh development in an ongoing tussle between the state government and the Union government. Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged that there was a conspiracy at Raj Bhavan to sabotage the government.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, on Wednesday, stayed Varghese’s selection in view of the allegations that she did not have the teaching experience required by the University Grants Commission. Varghese was allegedly awarded higher marks in the interview, and she secured first rank in the selection list even though her score in eligibility parameters were much lower than the second rank holder.

On Thursday, the university syndicate at a meeting decided to take legal action against the stay order. Vice-chancellor Gopinath Ravindran would file a petition with the Kerala High Court.

State law minister and CPM senior leader P Rajeev said that it was for the university to act on the matter.

Congress leader V D Satheesan, however, demanded an inquiry into all appointments made by universities in the state over the last six year of the Left Democratic Front’s governance. The Congress also demanded that all the appointments to the universities should be made through the Public Services Commission.