THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : In a major setback to the state government, the Supreme Court has dismissed its petition seeking to review a High Court order that quashed disciplinary action against Ciza Thomas, former vice-chancellor of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU).
The government’s move against Ciza, widely seen as ‘vindictive’, was a fallout of its ongoing spat with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. It was upon the governor’s directive that Ciza assumed the additional charge of KTU VC, much to the displeasure of the state government.
Ciza was serving as senior joint director at the technical education department, when she took over the additional responsibility in November 2022. Ciza assuming the post was seen as an act of ‘insubordination’ by the government and it served a notice on Ciza on the very day of her retirement from service. She was accused of violating the Kerala Government Servants’ Conduct Rules by assuming additional charges without obtaining the government’s ‘consent’.
Ciza approached the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) but it refused to quash the show cause notice issued against her. However, the KAT observed that Ciza should not be made a “scapegoat” of the government-governor stand-off. The tribunal also urged the government to permit the petitioner to retire “peacefully.”
Ciza moved the High Court and got the notice against her quashed in October last year. She is now hopeful that her pension and retirement benefits, which were put on hold by the government for nearly a year following the disciplinary action, would be released.