Kerala HC judgement on Priya Varghese, a blow to the Guv: Kerala CPI(M)

Kerala CPI(M) on June 23 said that the Kerala High Court ruling in favour of Priya Varghese, wife of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s private secretary, was a “blow” to the Governor, Arif Mohammed Khan.

The High Court said Varghese has the relevant experience for the post of Malayalam Associate Professor at Kannur University and her candidature for that position be considered accordingly.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said that the verdict was a blow to Khan in view of the stand taken by him regarding her appointment.

"It is a blow to the Governor. Look at what all he had said. It is a blow for you (media) too. You too were very vocal on that issue," Govindan said.

Khan, in his capacity as Chancellor of universities in the state, had last year stayed her appointment and alleged that Kannur University's move to appoint her was "political".

"The process of the appointment...it appears to be a case of favouritism and nepotism. A person who is not qualified to be appointed as an assistant professor prima facie is being appointed because she is the spouse of the secretary to the chief minister. This is political. There is absolutely no doubt," he had said.

The ruling came on Varghese's appeal challenging a single-judge order, of November last year, that had said that she lacked the relevant period of actual teaching experience as stipulated under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations of 2018 for the post.

Varghese had welcomed the verdict and said ever since the issue cropped up and till the judgement was delivered, she had suffered a lot of victimisation.

"I would term it as a hunt. There was a lot of sadness in my life as a result. I am now happy with the verdict. I have got justice," she told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran, after the verdict came, had said the varsity will take a decision according to the directions contained in the judgement.

"I have not read the judgement. Once I go through it, a decision will be taken accordingly," he had told reporters in Kannur.

The proposed appointment of Varghese to the post in question last year had triggered a huge political row as she had the lowest research score but the highest in the interview round and was declared first in the selection process.