Kannur: Nearly 15 months after the former principal-in-charge of Kasaragod Government College, Dr Rema M, retired, the state government is yet to release her gratuity -- a lump-sum retirement benefit of ₹17 lakh. She said the delay was deliberate and vindictive, driven by her fallout with the CPM’s student wing, the SFI.

Rema's run-ins with SFI began while she was principal and peaked in her final months of service. She was transferred from the college and faced two departmental inquiries, eventually quashed by the Kerala High Court, which criticised the government for taking up the cudgels for the student outfit. Her pension, initially delayed citing the inquiries, was released in July 2024, three months after her retirement.

But the gratuity -- based on her service years and last drawn salary, and capped at ₹17 lakh -- remains stuck. Rema alleged that Kannur University fabricated a discrepancy in her PhD submission date to create the appearance of a break in service and stall the release of her gratuity. "They're being vindictive," she said, accusing the Syndicate, dominated by Left members, of dragging the matter without basis.

She met Vice-Chancellor (in-charge) Prof KK Saju twice, and submitted documentary evidence to prove the university’s error, but instead of resolving it, he forwarded the file to the Syndicate.

The make-or-break date
Rema, whose husband is a CPI leader, joined the Kasaragod Government College’s Department of Statistics in 2001 after clearing the PSC recruitment exam. In 2009, she availed of the UGC’s Faculty Improvement Programme (FIP) to pursue a PhD. She submitted her thesis on July 29, 2011, and rejoined duty on August 1, 2011, after two holidays — Karkkadaka Vavu (Saturday) and Sunday.

Over time, she rose to associate professor and eventually principal in charge — a role that brought her into direct conflict with SFI.

A dispute over a defunct drinking water unit escalated in her final months. In an interview in February 2024, she accused SFI members of drug abuse, campus violence, and immoral physical relationships. SFI launched a protest and decided not to allow her to enter the campus. The government removed her as principal and transferred her to a college at Koduvally in Kozhikode, 200km away.

After a Kerala Administrative Tribunal order, she was posted closer to home at Govinda Pai Memorial Government College, Manjeshwar, and retired from there on March 31, 2024.

When the government withheld her pension, the High Court intervened, dismissed the charges, and ordered her dues cleared.  However, the government continued to withhold her gratuity based on the university's erroneous record.

It wasn't until October 2024 that the university informed her why: "I was told to submit the PhD submission certificate to the Directorate of Collegiate to get my gratuity."

She paid ₹3,500 as a fee to the Controller of Examination for the certificate but it came with the incorrect date. "I wrote to the Controller with documents but got the same erroneous certificate again," she said.

In December, Rema met VC Saju again -- this time armed with the PhD attendance register (signed through July 29, 2011), her thesis (clearly stating July 29 as the submission date), and joining records showing she resumed duty on August 1. "The VC was convinced. Even Registrar Prof Joby K Jose agreed with me," she said.

Yet, when there was still no progress by March, she returned to meet the VC. His staff made her wait outside his office for four hours. "They let me in at 5.30 pm only after I refused to leave without meeting the VC," said the former principal.

That’s when Saju told her the file had been sent to the Syndicate. On June 3, two days before the June 5 Syndicate meeting, the university asked her to submit a letter from the Kasaragod Government College principal confirming her PhD submission and resumption of duty dates. She submitted the letter on June 4. "But at the meeting, the Syndicate members ignored the VC’s suggestion and asked for more time to study the file," she said.

When contacted, Saju admitted he found Rema's request reasonable. "It's true I was convinced by the documents she produced. However, the dates on her documents didn’t match the university’s records. The discrepancy has to be regularised," he said.

“I have no agenda to deny or delay her gratuity. There should be no audit objection later,” he said, explaining why he forwarded the file to the Syndicate’s subcommittee.

Rema’s file, he said, is currently with Syndicate member Anish Kumar K P, a Left leader and faculty member in the Department of Management Studies. He did not respond to the call.

Rema said the university refused to correct the submission date because that would remove the appearance of a break in service, which is being used to deny her retirement benefits.

Saju said the issue would be resolved in the next Syndicate meeting, tentatively scheduled for July 4. But Rema said she has learned that her case is not on the agenda. "I'm now planning to write to the Chancellor, Rajendra Arlekar," she said.