THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A High Court verdict that upheld the authority of the vice-chancellor to chair meetings of the syndicate and endorse its decisions may spell trouble for Kerala University’s suspended registrar K S Anil Kumar who is engaged in a legal battle challenging the disciplinary action against him by the VC.
The High Court was hearing a case relating to APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) Vice-Chancellor K Sivaprasasd’s action of annulling the decisions taken at a “meeting” by the members of the syndicate, after the VC called it off. The syndicate members had challenged the VC’s action in court.
The High Court said it did not find anything illegal in the order of the vice-chancellor annulling the decisions taken at the meeting. It ruled that a meeting held by the members of the syndicate, after it was called off, cannot be treated as a syndicate meeting.
The court also went on to say that a certain amount of discretion has to be conceded to the vice-chancellor keeping in mind the significant role that he plays in the running of the university. “The members of the syndicate had the option to take up the matter with the chancellor, if they are aggrieved by the conduct of the vice-chancellor,” the court pointed out.
“The verdict in the KTU case will have a bearing on Anil Kumar’s ongoing case in the High Court. The registrar challenged his continued suspension, arguing that the syndicate has revoked it. But the syndicate took such a decision after the vice-chancellor called off the meeting, similar to what happened in KTU,” said a source.
Legal experts pointed out that the ‘revocation’ of Anil Kumar’s suspension may come under a cloud in the wake of the order in the KTU case. “However, it may not have an impact on the legal question whether the VC has the authority to suspend a registrar, whose appointing authority is the syndicate,” said a senior counsel.