Justifying the appointment of Vice Principal (VO) at Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, the Cochin Devaswom Board has said that there is no violations of rules in the posting.
In an official press release on Wednesday, the board said: “According to University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations (Section IV - released on 26-2-2020) a senior faculty member can be appointed as Vice Principal. The UGC regulation has also clarified that the order is with effect from 18-7-2018”.
College legacy
“The Kerala Varma College is one of the prestigious colleges under the Cochin Devaswom Board from 1950, which has produced many eminent personalities. Considering the legacy of the college, the State government has allotted a Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) fund of ₹13.5 crore for the development activities. The Cochin Devaswom Board took a decision to create a post of Vice Principal and to divide duties of the Principal as the development activities are going to take off. The appointment of the VP was totally according to the UGC guidelines,” said A.B. Mohanan, president, Cochin Devaswom Board.
The board took a decision in this regard on September 23 after taking into consideration the responsibilities given to Vice Principals at other colleges and issued the appointment order of the Vice Principal on October 30, he noted.
‘Senior-most candidate’
“R. Bindu, who has been appointed as Vice Principal, is the senior-most associate professor in the two colleges — Sree Kerala Varma and Sree Vivekananda — under the Devaswom board and the head of the English Department at Sree Kerala Varma College. She has the eligibility to be appointed as VP,” Mr. Mohanan said.
Principal of the college A.P. Jayadevan submitted his resignation to the management on Tuesday allegedly in protest against appointment of Dr. Bindu, former Thrissur Mayor and wife of Left Democratic Front convener and CPI(M) State secretary in-charge A. Vijayaraghavan’s wife, as Vice Principal.
