KANNUR: Accepting the Kerala High Court order that CPM leader K K Rajesh's wife Priya Varghese is not qualified for the post of associate professor, Kannur University vice chancellor Gopinath Raveendran said the varsity has no plan to file an appeal challenging the verdict. The University will study the verdict and take necessary action, he told media persons in Kannur on Friday.
Gopinath Raveendran said the University had sought legal opinion before appointing Priya Varghese. Though the varsity sought the opinion of the UGC, there was no response. A timely response from the UGC would have helped to avoid the controversy.
He said the University would review the rank list in the backdrop of the High Court verdict. “We will re-check the qualifications of the three persons in the rank list. If anyone needs to be excluded from the list, we will act accordingly,” he said.
A controversy erupted after it was alleged that Priya Varghese was appointed to flout the UGC norms. Joseph Scaria, the candidate who scored maximum marks had approached the High Court alleging that his credentials were overlooked to facilitate Priya Varghese.
On Thursday, the Kerala High Court accepted his contention and held that Priya Varghese did not have the required teaching experience.