Thrissur: The principal of the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur has informed the University Grants Commission (UGC) that it did not get a complaint against lecturer Deepa Nishanth in connection with the poetry plagiarism row and therefore no college-level inquiry was carried out.
The UGC had issued a notice to the principal, asking her to ascertain the facts and submit a detailed report. The UGC had also sought a report of any college-level inquiry, if held.
As the college is managed by the Cochin Devaswom Board, the action taken by board was also mentioned in the principal’s report.
The All-Kerala Private College Teachers' Association (AKPCTA) had filed a complaint to the board over the plagiarism row. The board had then sought an explanation from Deepa and removed her from the position of college fine arts adviser.
The UGC would take the next course of action based on the college principal's report. It is likely that Deepa would be summoned by the UGC and an explanation be sought.
Principal L Eswari had convened a college staff council meet before preparing the report. The principal said that she had taken everyone's opinion into consideration before filing the report.
A controversy was triggered after Deepa allegedly reproduced a poem written by poet S Kalesh in a magazine of the Private College Teachers' Association in 2018. Kalesh's poem 'Anganeyirike marichu poyi njan/nee' was first published in a blog in 2011 and then in a magazine. Deepa's photograph was also pasted along with the poem and the incident created much furore in the literary circles with several questioning the integrity of the college lecturer.
The UGC sought a report from the principal after it received a complaint in this regard.