A Syndicate meeting of Kerala University held on Saturday witnessed stormy scenes as the discussion initiated by Left-aligned members over the demand to reinstate Registrar K.S. Anil Kumar reached a stalemate.
As many as 19 members, including a Congress-backed member, supported a resolution for Dr. Kumar’s reinstatement, while the two Bharatiya Janata Party-aligned members opposed the demand.
Vice-Chancellor in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal, who also disagreed with the proposal, recorded his dissent and decided to refer the matter to the Governor in accordance with university norms. The Left-backed members alleged that the Vice-Chancellor’s stance did not adhere to the Kerala High Court directions and will come under scrutiny during the next hearing.
Elaborating on his position, Prof. Kunnummal cited the alleged violations committed by the Registrar while serving the suspension period, including signing and clearing 522 files, and purportedly misusing the university seal to issue certificates required for passports of several students going abroad.
While a committee appointed by the Vice-Chancellor to examine such violations had submitted its report, the Syndicate constituted a three-member subcommittee to further probe the allegations. Prof. Kunnummal remained firm on his stance that the Registrar would not be reinstated before the completion of the inquiry. He also asserted that any reinstatement order would be issued only after obtaining the Governor’s concurrence. However, CPI(M)-backed members insisted that the meeting would not be concluded without adopting a favourable decision. The meeting was adjourned as tensions escalated.
The Syndicate also approved the agenda for the upcoming Senate meeting scheduled to be held on November 14.
Inquiry ordered
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor has ordered an inquiry into the controversy pertaining to a Sanskrit research scholar whose PhD open defence came into question after the Head of the Department raised serious complaints regarding alleged irregularities. Prof. Kunnummal has entrusted the Registrar in-charge and the Director of Research with the inquiry. They have been instructed to gather detailed information from all involved in the issue including the Head of the Sanskrit Department C.N. Vijayakumari, who is also the Dean of Faculty of Oriental Studies, and to submit a report at the earliest.
Prof. Vijayakumari alleged that the PhD scholar was unable to respond to questions regarding his thesis during his open defence session. She also raised concerns about the authenticity and academic quality of the submission.
Published – November 01, 2025 09:58 pm IST
