Kerala HC stays appointment of Priya Varghese in Kannur University amid nepotism charges

The Kerala High Court on Monday stayed the recent controversial appointment of a Malayalam associate professor in Kannur University.

Justice Devan Ramachandran impleaded the University Grants Commission (UGC) on a plea filed against the appointment and sought reply from the Governor as the Chancellor of universities in the state, the government, Kannur University vice chancellor and others.

The plea against the appointment of Priya Varghese, the wife of K K Ragesh who is the Chief Minister's secretary, in the Malayalam department of Kannur varsity was filed by one Joseph Skaria who came second to Varghese in the university mark list.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, in his capacity as Chancellor of universities in the state, had on Wednesday stayed her appointment and alleged that Kannur University's move to appoint her was "political".

In the plea, Skaria alleged that the appointment was not done following due procedure.

Varghese had been proposed to be appointed as an associate professor in the Malayalam Department by varsity, which triggered a huge political row as she had the lowest research score but the highest in the interview round and was declared first in the selection process.

Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister R Bindu had said that the state government was not involved in making appointments in the varsities and only the universities can do that and that too as per the law and the regulations regarding the same.

(Image: PTI)