Syndicate members of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) have strongly criticised the Vice-Chancellor in-charge K. Sivaprasad and accused him of making decisions that blatantly disregard the university’s Act and statutes.
Syndicate members I.B. Satheesh, K.M. Sachin Dev, MLAs; P.K. Biju, I. Saju, B.S. Jamuna, Vinodkumar Jacob and Sanjeev G. have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with the Vice-Chancellor’s actions, alleging that he was acting under the influence of external parties to the detriment of the university’s interests.
Controversy erupted a day ago after the Vice-Chancellor declined to approve the reappointments of A. Praveen and Ananda Resmi as Registrar and Controller of Examinations, respectively.
At a press conference here on Wednesday, the Syndicate members claimed that Prof. Sivaprasad’s decision was motivated by a personal vendetta against Dr. Praveen, following a purported incident where Dr. Praveen defied the Vice-Chancellor’s order to call off a Syndicate meeting held in his absence three weeks earlier.
“The university Act empowers the Syndicate as the appointing authority of statutory officers including the Registrar. However, the Vice-Chancellor has not been functioning in line with the norms,” they added.
Tenure extension
The Syndicate members also flagged the delay in extending the tenures of other senior officials who have been serving on deputation, including the Director, Joint Director, and Assistant Director. The failure to convene the Syndicate in a timely manner has hindered the adoption of crucial decisions, they said.
May move HC
They also indicated their intention to approach the Kerala High Court and seek intervention from the State government, which, under the university Act, has the authority to conduct an inquiry if the university fails to comply with government-issued orders.
Published – February 05, 2025 06:42 pm IST