Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar removed K K Geethakumary as Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit on Thursday. The Governor, who also serves as the university’s Chancellor, issued a notification regarding the removal. Ciza Thomas, Vice Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, will assume additional charge of the Sanskrit University until further notice. The notification did not state the reason for Geethakumary’s removal. University officials were unavailable for comment.
Background and Complaints
The removal follows a series of controversies surrounding the university. Last month, the Governor halted a university syndicate decision. This decision would have declared a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) student, A Kalesh, as passed. Kalesh had initially failed the BFA course in 2005. He later completed a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in 2023. The syndicate had planned to grant him the BFA degree as a special case.
The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) lodged a complaint with the government. This complaint addressed the issue of Kalesh’s degree. The SUCC also filed a complaint against the Vice Chancellor with the Governor. This complaint alleged violations of a freeze on assistant professor recruitment. It further claimed faculty appointments were planned before the Assembly elections.
In response to these complaints, the Governor stopped faculty appointments at the university last month. Additional complaints were filed against the Vice Chancellor. These alleged violations of rules regarding land allocation for a cricket stadium.