Kasaragod: The Central University of Kerala has revoked the suspension of assistant professor Efthikar Ahamed B -- who is facing trial in two separate sexual assault cases -- nearly a year after he was first removed from duty.

The decision was taken by Vice-Chancellor Prof Siddu P Algur based on the recommendations of the university’s suspension review committee.

According to the order dated May 7, Ahamed has been allowed to resume academic duties such as teaching and research but has been barred from holding administrative and academic responsibilities or participating in any decision-making bodies within the department or university.

His suspension officially ends the day he rejoins duty, the order said.

Efthikar Ahamed, an assistant professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literatures, was first suspended on November 28, 2023, after first-year MA students accused him of making sexually suggestive remarks during lectures under the guise of teaching poetry. A female student from the same batch later alleged that he molested her when she fainted during an exam on November 13. Bekal Police registered a case based on her statement.

That initial suspension was lifted on February 23, 2024, sparking student protests. But just six days later, on February 29, then Vice-Chancellor in-charge Prof K C Baiju suspended him again after coming to know that the High Court, while granting him anticipatory bail, had barred him from entering Hosdurg taluk for two months or until the university’s internal inquiry was complete.

The second suspension was also revoked within weeks. However, Ahamed was soon arrested again -- this time by Taliparamba police -- based on a new complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman from Malappuram.

She alleged that Ahamed sexually assaulted her at a water theme park in Parassinikadavu in Kannur. Following her complaint, he was arrested on May 13, 2024, and charged under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to outrage modesty) and 354A(1)(i) (physical contact and advances involving sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code.

Two days later, the university suspended him -- the third in six months -- citing that he had been remanded in custody for more than 48 hours.

Now, nearly a year later, the university has cleared him to resume teaching while the trials in both the Bekal and Taliparamba cases are underway.