THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The University of Kerala has decided to constitute a Syndicate sub-committee to inquire into allegations against the harassment of students and malpractices in the award of internal marks by authorities of Law Academy Law College in the capital.
The eight-member sub-committee will visit the Law Academy campus on January 23 and 24 and interact with the students. A Syndicate meeting will be held next Saturday to discuss the findings of the sub-committee and decide on the future course.
Saturday’s Syndicate meeting witnessed unruly scenes when UDF-affiliated members demanded a discussion on the Law Academy issue. The demand was turned down by the Vice Chancellor. This led to an uproar and the meeting was disrupted for over two hours. The Syndicate later met at 2 pm and took up discussion on the issue. The campus had witnessed protests by student organisations over allegations of harassment and favouritism.
Allegations of favouritism
UDF-affiliated Syndicate member B S Jyothi Kumar created a flutter when he levelled allegations against the academic track record of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s media adviser John Brittas, who was a student of the Law Academy. Jyothi Kumar demanded that the records relating to the attendance and internal marks of Brittas, who pursued three-year LLB course at the Academy from 2009-2012, be produced before the Syndicate.
Incidentally, Brittas is the MD of Kairali TV that airs a cookery show hosted by Law Academy Principal Lekshmi Nair. The records, which were produced before the Syndicate, reportedly showed Brittas was awarded full attendance and full marks in the internal exam in all the semesters but had not appeared for the external examination. UDF-backed syndicate members said Brittas’ records substantiated the students’ allegations of favouritism in the award of internal marks.