THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who is also the chancellor of state universities, has sought a report from the Higher Education Department as well as the APJ Abdul Kalam Kerala Technological University (KTU) vice-chancellor on the appointment of M Abdul Rahiman as the principal of LBS Institute of Technology for Women.
The governor’s action came in the wake of a petition on the matter by Save University Campaign Committee, a collective of academics and rights activists. The petitioners sought immediate action from the governor to cancel the ‘irregular’ appointment.
According to the petition, Rahiman did not possess the minimum required qualification to be appointed as principal. The petition pointed out that the appointment was against UGC and AICTE regulations. “As per RTI documents obtained, Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel, who is also the chairman of LBS Centre for Science & Technology, gave an instruction to the LBS Centre to issue a fresh notification so that only persons working at LBS Centre can apply for the principal post by relaxing the UGC norms on PhD qualification,” the petition said.Rahiman was the MD of C-Apt when consignments, claimed to be Quran copies from UAE Consulate, were dispatched to Malappuram in the institution’s vehicle reportedly on the instruction of Jaleel.