Thiruvananthapuram: In a report highly critical of Kerala Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan termed the 'file adalat' called by the former and his private secretaries at Kerala Technology University (KTU) as a “breach of varsity laws”.
However, the governor has not named the minister in the report. It was prepared by the governor after hearing the explanation of varsity authorities on February 1.
Governor in the report also pointed out that the decision to conduct a revaluation for the third time allegedly to give pass mark to a B Tech student who had failed in the examination was a clear violation of the existing university laws.
The revaluation was ordered by the minister on the basis of the decision of the adalat. Higher Education Principal Secretary had asked the university to hold the adalat following a directive from the minister. The report pointed out that the decision to constitute a 12-member adalat committee headed by the vice chancellor was a violation of the university laws.
This panel had university officials and the personal staff of the minister as members.
The governor looked into the issue based on the complaint of the Save University Campaign Committee against the adalat and over conducting revaluation for a failed BTech candidate.
Khan also warned the varsity officials to work as per the law in future. In his report, Khan said such actions will badly affect the goodwill of the varsities.
Adalat order to stay
The governor said that he was not considering the merits and demerits of the decision as the adalat has already taken place.
Khan said he was not cancelling the student’s request for revaluation considering his future.
The Save University Campaign also did not press for the cancellation of the results considering the interest of the student. However, this should not be considered as a precedence, the governor stressed.
SC judgement cited
In this context, the governor pointed out that the Supreme Court in a 2003 judgement has clarified that the state government has no power to intervene in a university’s affairs as universities are autonomous institutions.
What happened at the KTU adalat
A sixth-semester BTech student of TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, failed to secure a pass grade during normal evaluation of his answer sheets. As he failed even after revaluation, the college principal reportedly wrote to KTU urging it to value the answer sheets again. However, the university rejected the plea.
During the adalat at the university on February 27, 2019 Jaleel summoned the particular file.
A decision was taken to further evaluate the answer paper of the student during the adalat. The answer sheets were revaluated for the third time and this time the student was given sufficient marks to pass the examinations.
(An adalat is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism set up when other means of redressing grievances are exhausted.)
Jaleel's reaction
Jaleel told reporters in Thrissur that he would not comment on the issue as he was yet to see the governor’s report.
“I have not received any such report,” Jaleel said.
He however insisted that there was nothing amiss about holding the adalat.
Similar issue in Calicut university
A similar row had earlier erupted over a decision of a similar adalat held at the Calicut University.
Several changes were made in the minutes of the minister's adalat here when the admission of an irregular MSc Physics student without minimum 50 per cent marks was allegedly regularised. The issue was presented before the academic council meeting as per the minister’s directive after the student, who secured admission through sports quota, approached him at the adalat.
As per another resolution of the adalat, the syndicate of the university decided to allow people who left colleges from 1995 to 2015 to write special supplementary examinations for ensuring a pass in their respective degree courses.
Even the name 'adalat' was changed in the minutes to one-time file settlement process.
