PALAKKAD/KOCHI : Raising the pitch against the alleged backdoor appointment of Ninitha R — wife of CPM leader and former MP M B Rajesh — as assistant professor at the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, the three subject experts who conducted the interview have written to the vice-chancellor demanding to freeze her induction. The letter, which came to light on Saturday, said the ranklist was torpedoed.
Rajesh alleged the controversy was part of the panellists’ conspiracy to protect their personal interests.In the letter, T Pavithran, Umer Tharamel and K M Bharathan pointed out the ranklist for the post of the assistant professor in the Malayalam department was prepared based on their analysis of the candidates’ performances. “However, the list published by the university for the post, which is reserved for Muslim candidates, did not conform to the one submitted by us,” they said. “An applicant who did not have the required teaching experience or publications had overtaken two or more deserving candidates to come first,” the trio said.
Stating their objection to the appointment, the experts said: “As teachers with 20-30 years of experience in the field, we have a moral responsibility towards the academic community. This appointment, made under our names, has brought our ethics under a cloud, in addition to blemishing the university’s reputation. We urge you to freeze the appointment and honour our collective decision.”
Interview panellists threatened wife against joining varsity: Rajesh
Resonding to the controversy, Rajesh alleged the panellists had earlier threatened his wife against joining the university. “They told Ninitha that if she didn’t back down, they would go public alleging irregularity in her appointment. When we ignored their threats, they raked up a controversy,” he said.
The conspiracy happened at three levels, said the CPM leader. “First, they tried to prevent my wife from attending the interview, claiming she was not eligible. Then, they tried to bring her doctorate degree under the cloud of suspicion. When this failed to deter us, they sent a signed letter through an intermediary on the night of January 31, 2021, asking her to withdraw from the race,” he said.
Ninitha had submitted a complaint against the trio to Vice-Chancellor P K Dharmarajan, said Rajesh. “After she joined as assistant professor, a member of the interview board issued a public statement alleging favouritism. Now, the trio has written this letter,” he said. He alleged that a member of the board had openly favoured one of his colleagues for the post.