Thiruvananthapuram: The ongoing row over the suspension of the Registrar at Kerala University has left students caught in the crossfire. With Vice Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal absent from the university office for two weeks and confusion over which Registrar should receive official files, degree certificate signing has come to a halt. This impasse has also disrupted the processing of essential documents such as equivalency certificates and other papers critical for student admissions to higher education courses.

Although the Left-aligned syndicate members have demanded that a meeting be convened to address the deadlock, the VC has dismissed the request. No concrete solutions emerged from the meeting held on Monday between the Governor and the Vice Chancellor either.

While Left syndicate members claim that nearly 2,000 certificates await the VC’s signature, Dr Kunnummal insists the number is closer to 400 and could be cleared in a single day if he were allowed access to the university office. During temporary VC Ciza Thomas’s one-week tenure, no degree certificates were signed.

Meanwhile, administrative chaos continues as both Dr K S Anil Kumar, who was suspended by the VC, and Mini Kappen, who was subsequently assigned charge, are simultaneously functioning as Registrar. Files are reportedly not being routed to Mini Kappen, and the VC has been returning those submitted through Anil Kumar, insisting they be forwarded through Kappen.

University officials who have not aligned with either camp are watching the situation unfold helplessly. While left members in the Syndicate accuse the VC of not being present at the varsity,  the official maintained that he is avoiding physical presence on campus to prevent a confrontation and alleged that plans are in place to block his entry. On the other hand, student protests led by the SFI continued at the university headquarters on Monday.

Dispute over ‘suitable forum’ too
While the High Court has directed that a suitable forum determine the validity of the syndicate meeting that reversed the Registrar’s suspension, disagreement is now raging over which body should serve as that forum. While the Left syndicate members argue that the Governor should decide, the VC insists that he is the competent authority and that the syndicate meeting in question was invalid. He maintains that those with opposing views take the matter up with the Governor or the courts.