Syndicate cancels charges against Calicut varsity teacher, V-C to report them to Chancellor

P. Raveendran, Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of the University of Calicut, is learnt to have decided to report the memo of charges and statement of allegation served on Sreekala Mullassery, Assistant Professor attached to the Department of Russian and Comparative Literature, to the Chancellor, after the Syndicate on Wednesday decided to drop them citing procedural lapses.

The charges are related to her alleged involvement in the campaign seeking votes for M. Swaraj, Left Democratic Front candidate in the 2025 Nilambur Assembly bypoll.

Ms. Mullassery, who is also in charge of ‘Radio CU’, the radio station run by the university, had reportedly circulated a video extending support to Mr. Swaraj. When the memo of charges and the statement of allegation were reported by the V-C at the Syndicate meeting held on the university campus on Wednesday, pro-Left members objected to his action. One of the members reportedly tried to bolt the door of the meeting hall from inside, saying Mr. Raveendran would not be allowed to go out until he cancelled the charges.

According to sources, Mr. Raveendran questioned the authority of the Syndicate to cancel the V-C’s decision. Later, the pro-Left members, using their majority in the Syndicate, decided to cancel the charges. However, members affiliated with the United Democratic Front and the BJP objected to it saying the disciplinary action against Ms. Mullassery should be continued as she had violated service rules. They also recorded their dissent note. Thereafter, Mr. Raveendran told the members that he would report the charges to the Chancellor.

Meanwhile, a pro-Left Syndicate member told The Hindu that there were procedural lapses in the action taken by the V-C and all the charges had been dropped. No formal inquiry had been instituted into the allegations levelled against her. Though Ms. Mullassery was first served a notice in June 2025 itself, it was not reported to the Syndicate. The V-C has a power to take action on his/her own when the Syndicate is not in session, he said. The Syndicate, however, met a number of times during the period between June and December. Also, though Ms. Mullassery replied to the notice, another one was served on her again saying the reply was not satisfactory. Meanwhile, an employees’ union also filed a complaint against her. When the memo of charges was issued against her, it was also reported in the media ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, the Syndicate member said.