Universities in Kerala flout UGC norms at will

Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the ongoing strife between the State Government and Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan over university affairs, numerous violations of the University Grants Commission (UGC) rules have come to light.

For instance, the dilatory tactics of University Kerala authorities over naming a representative of the Senate to the search committee for appointing a new vice-chancellor itself is against the UGC rules. The incumbent vice-chancellor is completing his term on Monday.

On Friday the Supreme Court quashed the appointment of Dr. M S Rajasree the vice-chancellor of A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University citing a violation of UGC regulations.

A bench headed by Justice MR Shah on Thursday observed that instead of handing over a panel of names to the chancellor to select the vice-chancellor as per the UGC rules, only one person's name was provided.

Former Dean of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) PS Sreejith had approached the Supreme Court questioning the appointment of the VC.

However, Kerala’s Minister for Higher Education R Bindu defended the government’s position on the case. “The Supreme Court and, earlier, the High Court considered different aspects of the issue. There is no dispute over the eligibility of Dr. Rajasree for the post. Her academic credentials are excellent. The issue before the Supreme Court was on the search committee to appoint the vice-chancellor,” said the minister.

Agricultural University

A former vice-chancellor of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was paid Rs 8.55 lakh as salary beyond eligibility. After the matter was detected, the vice-chancellor was ordered to pay the money back. However, the related file has now gone missing.

In yet another malpractice at KAU, an inspection report prepared by the Agriculture Department regarding a mass promotion given to 244 faculty members in 2014 also has disappeared.

Calicut University

The university does not follow the UGC directive to update faculty vacancies on its website. The University’s decision to allot index marks in the appointments of professors and associate professors also is a violation of UGC rules.

Kannur University

The Kerala High Court is currently considering a case over the appointment of Dr. Priya Varghese, wife of the Chief Minister’s private secretary K K Rajesh, as an associate professor at Kannur University. It is alleged that the appointment flouted UGC rules.

Mahatma Gandhi University

The High Court recently quashed an order of Mahatma Gandhi University dated October 30, 2021, appointing assistant professors in Hindi at the colleges under its jurisdiction, pointing out that UGC rules were not followed.

The court also canceled the assistant professor appointments in the School of Gandhian Thought and Development Studies.

Fisheries University

An audit report for 2019-20 pointed out that Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) had created posts violating UGC norms and made appointments.