KOCHI: Justice N Nagaresh of the Kerala High Court on Friday expressed displeasure over the suspended Kerala University registrar describing “Bharat Mata” as “a lady holding a saffron flag” in the petition challenging the disciplinary action against him.
Registrar K S Anil Kumar was suspended by the vice-chancellor in-charge for cancelling permission for a June 25 event scheduled to be attended by Governor Rajendra Arlekar. He had cited the display of a controversial image of “Bharat Mata” carrying a saffron flag on the dais at the Senate Hall, Thiruvananthapuram as the reason for withdrawing the permission.
During the hearing, Justice Nagaresh asked which provocative religious image was displayed at the venue. Then the counsel for the petitioner replied that there was a photograph of a lady holding a saffron flag. The court observed that it was “unfortunate” that the petitioner, in his plea, referred to “Bharat Mata” as “a photograph of a lady holding a saffron flag placed in the centre of the stage on a very prominent spot, and it was garlanded as well and flowers were also laid on the table.”
Though the petitioner sought an interim order staying the operation of the order of the vice-chancellor, the court did not interfere and adjourned the case to Monday.
The petitioner argued that the charge that he had delivered the order cancelling the permission when the governor was already on the stage was incorrect and baseless. As per the rules, only the university’s Syndicate was empowered to suspend the registrar. The VC can only initiate disciplinary action against officials up to the rank of deputy registrar and hence the registrar’s suspension was illegal, he contended.
