The Kerala High Court on 11 September dismissed a petition filed by Dr. K. S. Anilkumar, former Registrar of the Kerala University, challenging his suspension ordered by the Varsity Syndicate.
Dr. Anilkumar was suspended after an internal probe by authorities that found lapses during Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar’s visit to the campus on 25 June 2025. The Governor had been scheduled to unveil a book on the Emergency of 1975, marking its 50th anniversary, when Anilkumar abruptly declared the event cancelled even as the Governor was on his way. Anilkumar, who is known to have links with senior CPM functionaries, had earlier objected to offering floral tributes before the image of Bharat Mata.
Despite the suspension order, Anilkumar refused to accept the VC’s decision. He continued to occupy the Registrar’s office and use the official vehicle, openly defying the authority. To formalise the action, Vice Chancellor Dr. Mohanan Kunnummel convened a Syndicate meeting on 6 July to ratify the Syndicate’s statement in connection with Anilkumar’s petition. However, the meeting ended inconclusively after strong opposition from Left members. Following its dissolution, the Left members held a separate meeting and unilaterally declared that Anilkumar’s suspension had been withdrawn. This claim became the basis for Anilkumar’s plea before the High Court.
The High Court, however, ruled that such decisions must strictly comply with the provisions of the University Act and Statute. While affirming that the Syndicate is the final authority to decide on the suspension of the Registrar, the court stressed that its powers are subject to statutory conditions. The verdict also rejected the validity of the “parallel” meeting conducted by Left members without the knowledge or consent of the Vice Chancellor, holding that the purported withdrawal of suspension had no legal standing.
This Court dismissed the writ petition as withdrawn observing as follows: “Whether the decision of the Syndicate of the University is just, proper, legal and valid has to be decided by the appropriate authority/forum. As the said the said decision is not the subject matter of challenge in this writ petition, this Court would not like to comment on the functions and powers of the Syndicate. As the petitioner wants to withdraw this writ petition, the writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn. The decision of the Syndicate shall be considered and adjudicated by the appropriate authority if the same is challenged before the appropriate authority.”
A statement issued by Syndicate members Dr. Vinodkumar, T. G. Nair and P. S. Gopalakrishnan welcomed the court’s decision, remarking that those who often invoke the Act and Statute had themselves disregarded them, wrongly assuming the University could be controlled through political muscle power. They also pointed out that no less a person than the CPM state secretary had personally visited the campus to boost the morale of the Left agitation aimed at stalling the university’s activities.
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