Registrar kept off duty despite HC order

Suspended official of Kannur University sits outside locked office; varsity moves appeal in High Court

Kannur University’s administrative campus here on Wednesday witnessed drama with Balachandran Keezhoth, suspended from the post of Registrar, sitting outside his locked office throughout office time as the university authorities denied him permission to rejoin duty despite a High Court order setting aside the Vice Chancellor’s suspension order.

Though the High Court had on February 18 set aside the suspension of Dr. Keezhoth by Vice Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran on January 31, he could not rejoin duty on Tuesday and Wednesday though he had brought the authentic copy of the court order.

On Tuesday, both the Vice Chancellor and the Pro Vice Chancellor (PVC) P.T. Raveendran did not turn up. On Wednesday, the PVC came to the office, but refused to let Dr. Keezhoth re-join duty.

“I found my office locked from outside. So I sat on the chair outside and I will remain here till the end of the office hours,” Dr. Keezhoth told

The Hindu . Normally, the university was bound to accept the authentic copy of the court order which had set aside his suspension, he said.

Dr. Raveendran told reporters that the university had moved an appeal seeking a stay on the court order. The university would act appropriately on the decision on the appeal. He said the court order had not mentioned any date to reinstate the official. The appeal also sought to get removed some negative remarks about the university in the court order, he said.

Reasons for suspension

Dr. Keezhoth was suspended for not complying with the Vice Chancellor’s order to submit the list of employees of the university who had staged a dharna in front of his office on January 15, and also for not initiating disciplinary action against these employees. The High Court observed that the Vice Chancellor was merely acting under the dictates of the Syndicate and that the suspension was totally unwarranted and illegal.

Meanwhile, pro-Congress members of the university Senate were not permitted to meet the Vice Chancellor at his camp office in the afternoon. The police blocked them and the gate of the camp office was closed, they said, adding that they would fight the case legally.