KANNUR: Allegations have surfaced regarding irregularities in the appointment process for the SC/ST reserved post of Geography Assistant Professor at Kannur University.
An irregularity in the appointment of the Geography Assistant Professor was reported on the same day that the Supreme Court quashed the re-appointment of Kannur University’s former Vice Chancellor, Dr. Gopinath Ravindran.
Dr. Gopinath Ravindran, the former VC, appointed faculties from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as subject experts during interviews for the Assistant Professor position in Geography. However, allegations suggest that these experts recommended their own research students and temporary teaching faculty members, who lacked a PhD, for appointment as Assistant Professors at Kannur University.
Earlier, the inclusion of the research guide in the interview panel of the candidate who secured the first rank in the general category was controversial. The decision was later suspended by the Kerala High Court. Subsequently, it was revealed that six candidates with PhDs were excluded for the SC/ST reserved post, while a candidate without a PhD secured the top rank.
Further suspicions arose regarding the rank lists, where only one candidate was included in the reserved category vacancy, while three candidates were selected in the rank list for the General category vacancy.
In this situation, the Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) lodged a petition urging Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who serves as the Chancellor of the Universities, to review all appointments made by former VC Gopinath Ravindran. The committee alleges that Dr. Ravindran intervened in favoritism by appointing his preferred team from JNU as subject experts for the interview panels.
Additionally, the committee highlighted the mystery surrounding the continuation of online interviews, initially conducted during the Covid pandemic, exclusively in Kannur University appointments even after the pandemic had subsided.
During the interview process for the reserved category, individuals such as Dr. K Sumesh, Dr. PD Jincy, Dr. KP Shimodh, Dr. Sarath Chandran, Dr. S Suresh, Dr. S Raveendran, and Balakrishnan Padhmavathy participated.
But, Balakrishnan Padhmavathy, a contract faculty at JNU without a PhD, was awarded the first rank.
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