Kerala University Registrar Withdraws Plea Before High Court Against Suspension After Being Reinstated

Kerala College Registrar, Prof. Dr. Okay.S. Anil Kumar, on Monday (July 7) withdrew a plea earlier than the Excessive Courtroom, difficult his suspension by the varsity’s Vice Chancellor in view of his reinstatement by the Syndicate of the College, in reference to the Bharat Mata portrait row.

When the matter got here up for consideration, earlier than Justice DK Singh, counsel for the Registrar submitted earlier than the Excessive Courtroom {that a} withdrawal petition has been filed in mild of the reinstatement of the Registrar by the Syndicate of the College.

The matter pertains to a conflict amongst college students that had occurred throughout an occasion. The Registrar’s plea claimed that he was knowledgeable that the organisers of the occasion had put in non secular emblems within the Senate Corridor.

After the organisers had been requested to take away the identical, they refused to take action, resulting in an altercation between completely different College students’ Unions.

It’s claimed that when the petitioner and the law enforcement officials went to the Senate Corridor, they discovered a “{photograph} of a woman holding a saffron flag”, they usually had been below the impression that this was {a photograph} of a Hindu goddess.

To keep away from a conflict, he had requested the organisers to take away the identical. In view of the truth that the state of affairs was changing into dire, the Registrar had ordered the cancellation of the occasion, it’s said.

Justice D.Okay. Singh orally noticed that when such a choice to reinstate the Registrar was made by the Syndicate, the correctness of the choice needs to be determined by the suitable authority.

Thus, the writ petition was dismissed as withdrawn by the Courtroom.

Background

On June 13, the Registrar acquired a request from the Secretary of the Sree Padmanabha Seva Samiti to make use of the Senate Corridor of the College to conduct a seminar in reference to the fiftieth yr of the Declaration of Emergency on 25.06.2025. Thereafter, permission to conduct the programme was given. The petitioner’s plea claims that he had knowledgeable the Secretary of the Samiti that it ought to strictly adjust to the Guidelines and Laws for the Allotment of Senate Corridor.

Based on the petitioner, on the day of the operate, the Safety Officer of the College knowledgeable the petitioner that the organisers of the occasion had put in non secular emblems within the Senate Corridor. Thereafter, the petitioner states, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the College carried out an inspection and requested the organisers to take away the non secular symbols.

The mentioned request was not complied with, and therefore, a report stating that the programme was being carried out in violation of the Guidelines. Together with the report, a draft letter for cancellation of the occasion was additionally submitted to the petitioner, it’s said.

Later, the petitioner said, the Safety Officer, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, the Circle Inspector of Police, and the Sub Inspector of Cantonment Police Station, Trivandrum rushed to the workplace of the petitioner and knowledgeable the petitioner that the scholars belonging to completely different College students Union had been engaged in an altercation.

The petitioner said that there was an opportunity of violent clashes and there was a must take remedial measures. Subsequently, the petitioner and the law enforcement officials went to the Senate Corridor whereby there was {a photograph} of a woman holding a saffron flag positioned on the centre of the stage on a really distinguished spot. There have been flower garlands on the photograph and on the desk on which it was positioned.

Based on the writ petition, the petitioner and the Safety Officer had been below the impression that this was {a photograph} of a Hindu goddess. With a purpose to keep away from a conflict and to dealer peace among the many college students, the petitioner requested the organisers to take away the mentioned {photograph}. Whereas the organisers had been considering on whether or not or to not take away the identical, the petitioner acquired a name from the Governor’s workplace and your complete state of affairs was appraised, it’s said.

Within the meantime, the state of affairs within the Senate Corridor turned very dire, and there was a bodily conflict between the scholars. Thereupon, the petitioner handed an order to cancel the permission given to organise the occasion. Nonetheless, as per the report of the PRO, the organisers refused to just accept the mentioned cancellation order and there have been violent clashes within the Corridor. Based on the petitioner, whereas all this occurred, the Governor had not reached the venue.

Later, in keeping with the petitioner, the Governor reached the Corridor after the law enforcement officials had intervened and calmed down the state of affairs. Right now, the pictures weren’t eliminated by the organisers and the programme was carried out with the identical.

The VC known as for a report from the petitioner concerning the happenings of the day and a report was submitted by the petitioner on the very subsequent day itself. Every week later, the VC issued a suspension order.

As per the order, the 4th respondent has said that it discovered it essential to droop the petitioner after contemplating the experiences submitted by the petitioner Registrar, the Safety Officer, the PRO, and the Part Officer. Furthermore, order additionally said that the petitioner determined to cancel the occasion after the Governor arrived on the venue.

Based on the petitioner, this was a mistaken appreciation of precise info since he contended the cancelation was issued whereas the Governor was not on the venue. The petitioner has additionally said that the 4th respondent VC was not in station when the difficulty occurred and Exhibit P11 suspension order was issued with out appreciating the related info.

As per the writ petition, the petitioner has said that the Syndicate of the College is the appointing and disciplinary authority, which has the ability to droop the Registrar of the College. The petitioner said that the Registrar isn’t an worker however an officer of the College as per Part 12 of the Kerala College Act, 1974. Subsequently, the VC who’s granted to provoke disciplinary proceedings towards staff alone can not droop the Registrar.

Based on the petitioner, the VC was not in station when the difficulty occurred and the suspension order was issued with out appreciating the related info. Within the writ petition, the suspension order of the Vice-Chancellor was challenged for being unlawful, arbitrary, unfair, unreasonable and vitiated by malafides. It is usually submitted by the petitioner that the order is contaminated by the abuse of energy and is due to this fact, violative of Article 14 of the Structure of India.

Case No: WP(C) No. 24724 of 2025

Case Title: Prof. Dr. Okay.S. Anil Kumar v. State of Kerala and Ors.

The petition is moved by Elvin Peter P.J. (Sr.), Okay.R.Ganesh, Adarsh Babu C.S., Ahsana E., Ashik J. Varghese.