The Kerala High Court has refused to stay the suspension of Kerala University Registrar Dr. KS Anil Kumar, who was suspended by the Vice Chancellor for insulting Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar. The court directed the university and the Kerala Police to file detailed responses on the matter. The directive came in response to a petition filed by Dr. Anil Kumar challenging the Vice Chancellor’s decision.
The court observed that both the Vice Chancellor and the university have presented their respective positions and emphasized that the matter concerns only a suspension at this stage. A detailed affidavit has been sought from the university regarding the suspension, and from the police on the law-and-order situation that prevailed outside the Senate Hall. The single bench, headed by Justice N. Nagaresh, will reconsider Dr. Anil Kumar’s petition on Monday.
The High Court strongly criticised the conduct of the Registrar, stating that his actions undermined the dignity of the Governor. It noted that the matter should have been handled differently and questioned the police’s ability to manage the law-and-order situation at the venue. The court asked whether the police lacked the capacity to control the situation where the Governor was expected to attend the event.
The High Court further questioned the Registrar’s counsel on the claim that a religious symbol was displayed at the Senate Hall. It asked what the alleged provocative religious symbol was and criticised the lawyer’s description of “Bharat Mata as a woman holding a flag.” When pressed, the Registrar’s lawyer, Elvin Peter PJ, admitted that the image displayed was of a Hindu deity.
Dr Anil Kumar argued in court that the Vice Chancellor had overstepped his authority by suspending him without following due procedure. According to him, only the University Syndicate, which is his appointing authority, has the legal power to suspend him. He contended that the Vice Chancellor acted unilaterally, without a Syndicate decision, which constitutes a clear violation of the University Act. He described the suspension as arbitrary, improper, illegal, and discriminatory. However, the court initially rejected these arguments.
The controversy began with a program at the University of Kerala’s Senate Hall to mark 50 years since the Emergency, titled As the Emergency Nears Fifty Years of Democratic Slaughter, authored by K. B. Surendran and published by Kurukshetra Prakashan. Organised by the Sree Padmanabha Seva Samithi, the event featured Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar as the chief guest and included the installation of a Bharathamba portrait, which led Registrar Dr. KS Anil Kumar to deny permission, claiming it was a religious symbol. Despite this, the event proceeded as scheduled, with SFI and KSU activists failing to stop it and clashing with police outside. The Governor inaugurated the program by offering flowers to the Bharathamba image and lighting a ceremonial lamp. Dismissing the protests, he questioned the opposition to the image and stated that while he did not seek confrontation, he would not yield to pressure or allow an “emergency-like” situation.
Following this, Vice Chancellor Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal suspended Registrar Anil Kumar for aligning with anti-national interests and attempting to politicize the Bharathamba portrait. An internal inquiry concluded that the Registrar had violated protocol, succumbed to political pressure, attempted to obstruct a scheduled event, and disrespected the Governor. The suspension is widely viewed as a response to a politically motivated effort, with Anil Kumar, linked to a pro-CPIM organisation, acting as a proxy for Left-Congress forces seeking to create a controversy around the Governor’s participation.
