Kerala Governor to hold hearing on exam clearance row at Sanskrit varsity

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has convened a hearing on the allegation that the Syndicate of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) gave its nod to consider a student of Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), who had failed in the examination in 2005, as having cleared the exam.

The Governor, who is also the Chancellor of State universities, has asked Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas, Registrar Mothi George, and the section officer who had handled the files related to the controversy to attend the hearing at Lok Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on March 25, according to sources.

Ciza Thomas, who had assumed charge as SSUS Vice-Chancellor on March 6, had asked the varsity officials concerned to submit the entire files related to the allegation. Dr. Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, was given the additional charge after the Governor removed K.K. Geethakumary from the post of Vice-Chancellor on March 5.

The Governor had directed the former Vice-Chancellor to freeze the Syndicate decision to consider the student of Bachelor of Fine Arts as having cleared the exam, though he had reportedly failed to clear it. Prof. Geethakumary was removed a few days after she informed the Governor that the Syndicate had decided to go ahead with its decisions on the issues that he had asked to put on hold temporarily, including the BFA controversy.

The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) had lodged a complaint before the Governor, alleging that the student was later admitted to the Master of Fine Arts programme in violation of norms, and he had reportedly completed it in 2023. The forum had alleged that the Left-affiliated members of the Syndicate had violated norms to favour the candidate, who was a former activist of the Students Federation of India.

The Governor has directed the authorities to submit the entire files related to the issue, including the files linked to the decision taken by a sub-committee of the Syndicate, which had decided in favour of the student.