KASARGOD: In a likely case of financial impropriety and and a potential major embarrassment to the Central University of Kerala (CUK), vice chancellor G Gopa Kumar has been claiming “undue pension benefit” from Kerala University from where he retired as a professor, revealed RTI replies. He has been claiming dearness relief which is a part of his pension, from Kerala University and also dearness allowance from CUK which is a violation of government rules. Replying to an RTI query, Kerala University said Kumar has claimed around Rs 14.50 lakh in dearness relief between August 2014 - when he joined CUK - and October 5, 2017.
Sources in Kerala University said the varsity was likely to ask the vice-chancellor to reimburse the money, as he has been claiming dearness allowance from CUK. The VC’s basic pay is Rs 75,000 and dearness allowance is Rs 1.02 lakh at CUK, according to an RTI reply. Kerala University vice-chancellor P K Radhakrishnan refused to comment for this report.
CUK vice-chancellor Prof Kumar’s phone was switched off as “he is travelling”. However, CUK registrar A Radhakrishnan admitted that he had received a missive from Kerala University pointing out the VC was claiming dearness allowance from both universities. The letter pointed out he was not supposed to accept DA from both universities and sought the details of his salaries, said the registrar. “We got the letter last Thursday and we will be replying to it soon,” he said.
Radhakrishnan, however, said CUK was deducting the basic pension, which comes to Rs 29,920, from the salary. But inflation-linked dearness allowance, which is 136 per cent of the basic, was not deducted. Former controller of examination of CUK Sasidharan V who filed the RTI queries and complained to Kerala University, said the VC should have set an example to others rather than flouting government rules and drawing undue monetary benefits.
Another high-ranking official, who retired from state government service and joined CUK, said the government of Kerala deducted his basic pension and also dearness relief, as his salary at in the university had both components.
Lesson from the past
Sources in Kerala University said in September 2014, Governor and chancellor P Sathasivam had directed Calicut University vice-chancellor M Abdul Salam to repay the ‘excess amount’ he drew by way of “double salary”. He had drawn the salary of the VC and the full pension from Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), which led to massive protests.
Salary matters
Prof Kumar drew Rs 14.50 lakh as dearness relief between August 2014 and October 5, 2017, from Kerala University
During the same period, he drew DA from CUK too, which amounts to Rs 1.02 lakh per month
Drawing pension benefits when re-employed at another government institute is against the rules, say officials