Calicut University Vice Chancellor M. Abdul Salam once again appealed to Governor and Chancellor P. Sathasivam demanding that his appointment be considered not as re-employment and that he be exempted from the Kerala Service Rules (KSR).
The issue of double wages drawn by Dr. Salam had stirred a hornets’ nest with the employees and teachers of the university taking cudgels against him. The Chancellor, in his order two weeks ago, had rejected the appeals and claims of Dr. Salam for concurrent salary and full pension and had asked him to re-fix his salary in accordance with the Rule 100 of the KSR.
Dr. Salam, in a three-page letter dated January 5, pointed out the follies in the Chancellor’s order, asking him to reconsider his judgment. Dr. Salam said that his appointment as Vice Chancellor should not be treated as re-employment as he had not worked in Calicut University before. Dr. Salam said that he had not questioned the ambiguity about his appointment as “the university was in utter confusion regarding the nature of appointment.” Dr. Salam also appealed to the Chancellor that he should not be penalized for no fault of his.
The Joint Action Council of Employees on Tuesday accused the Vice Chancellor of making a mockery of the Chancellor’s office by trying to drag his judgment into a legal whirlpool. In a statement here, P. Premarajan and P. Omer, chairman and convener respectively of the Action Council, said that Dr. Salam was trying to evade repayment of the excess amount he drew by prolonging the matter.
“It’s a shame to go in appeal to the same authority after having got rejected twice before. His intention is not to pay back the lakhs of rupees he drew in excess of his entitled wages,” they said.
Dr. Salam will have to repay about Rs. 25 lakhs to the government. He has not been paid his salary for the past four months after the Governor’s verdict against him for drawing double wages.
The Vice Chancellor has seven more months to go in office. Even if the university holds his salary for the remaining tenure of his service, Dr. Salam will have to repay a few more lakhs to the government.
