Lexicon editor row: Guv seeks report

Thiruvananthapuram: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has sought a report from Kerala University vice-chancellor VP Mahadevan Pillai on a complaint that the university had appointed an ineligible candidate as the editor of Malayalam lexicon, allegedly under the influence of chief minister’s office (CMO).
The report was sought based on a complaint submitted by the Save Education Campaign Committee alleging nepotism in the appointment of H Poornima, wife of R Mohanan, a former IRS officer who is currently working as the officer on special duty at CMO. It has been alleged that Poornima, a Sanskrit teacher with the Sanskrit university in Kalady was selected as the editor of Malayalam lexicon by tweaking the qualification norms to suit the particular candidate.
Meanwhile, the campaign committee, on Tuesday, petitioned the state police chief, seeking an investigation into the alleged criminal conspiracy charges against Pillai and former registrar CR Prasad.
Based on a proposal by the VC, the university’s syndicate on December 29, 2020, had decided to appoint a professor or associate professor as the Malayalam lexicon editor on a deputation basis. Though university statues prescribe that only a Malayalam expert can be considered for the post, the university notification issued in this regard said it can be either a Malayalam or Sanskrit faculty.
According to Save University Campaign Committee, this addition was carried out by the former registrar who also acted as one of the two experts who declared Poornima as the only candidate eligible for the post. The committee further added that the notification was kept private so that only the candidate of their choice would get the posting.
They also alleged that the university hid the complete address of Poornima and did not mention the deputation period in her appointment order.