By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala University’s syndicate met here Monday and decided not to appeal against the Lokayukta’s direction to cancel all appointments to assistant grade posts made in 2008.
Soon after the meeting of the chief executive body of the university, syndicate member R.S. Sasikumar told reporters that the decision was taken through voting.
“Ten members voted to uphold the Lokayukta findings, while eight voted against it,” said Sasikumar.
On Dec 29 the Upa Lokayukta, Justice G. Sasidharan, cancelled the entire list of selected candidates for lack of transparency, and said action should be taken against the then vice chancellor M.K. Ramachandran Nair, the then pro-vice chancellor V. Jayaprakash and four syndicate members for the manner in which the selection process was conducted.
During the Left government led by V.S. Achuthanandan of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (2006-11), the Congress raised this issue in the assembly as a corruption case.
The case was unearthed by Sujith S. Kurup, the then Kerala University Senate member and Congress student leader, who filed a case with the Upa Lokayukta that large-scale corruption took place in the university appointments.
Though the selection test was conducted during the Congress-led government’s tenure in 2006, the list of successful candidates was prepared during the Achuthanandan government’s tenure.
At that time, 160 candidates were appointed and the Congress opposition alleged that 60 of them were close to the Left political leaders.
In 2008, when the Lokayukta first asked for cancellation of the list, the aggrieved teachers approached the Kerala High Court and demanded a stay on the directive, but the court constituted a committee to look into the Congress allegations.
The committee concluded that the appointments were not made in a transparent manner. The court then asked the Lokayukta to go into the case once again.
Former vice chancellor Nair told reporters Monday that the decision of the syndicate was against the law of the land as a case was pending on this in the high court.
A few of those who have got the job on the basis of this test have also approached the high court, asking it to intervene. The case would come up Tuesday.