Education watchdog asks President to scrap CUK registrar’s appointment over sexual assault case

Thiruvananthapuram: The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) has written to President Droupadi Murmu, the Visitor of the Central University of Kerala (CUK), seeking an inquiry into the appointment of Dr R Jayaprakash as the university’s Registrar, citing a pending criminal case in which he is accused of sexually assaulting a non-teaching officer at her workplace.

In a complaint dated October 19, the higher education watchdog said that the Vice-Chancellor and the Selection Committee ignored the employee’s formal objection to Jayaprakash’s candidature and proceeded with his appointment despite the criminal case against him. The SUCC sought the cancellation of his appointment and an inquiry into the selection process.

Jayaprakash, who was the Controller of Examinations at CUK, was accused of sexually assaulting the woman employee at the university's health centre on June 19, 2024.

Based on her complaint, Bekal police booked him for wrongful restraint (Section 126 (2) of BNS) and sexual harassment (Section 75 (1) (i) of BNS).

Save University Campaign Committee chairperson R S Sasikumar said Jayaprakash had approached the Kerala High Court seeking to quash the FIR. But in an interim order on June 29, 2026, the court only gave him protection from arrest and did not stay the investigation.

CUK invited applications on December 10, 2025. Jayaprakash, the controller of examination, was shortlisted and interviewed on October 6 and 7, 2026. The Executive Council approved the selection committee’s recommendation on October 12, placing him first in the rank list, following which he assumed charge as Registrar.

The appointment had drawn immediate protests on the campus. Students affiliated with several organisations burnt his photographs and demanded his removal as the Registrar.

Jayaprakash said he had visited the health centre that day as he was suffering from food poisoning and that no such incident had occurred.

He said the complainant had earlier approached the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and the Prime Minister’s portal, but the complaints were rejected after inquiries. A Dean’s Committee inquiry was also held. Two other committees headed by retired judges, constituted by the university, also found no merit in the complaint, he said. He said the complainant revived the complaint after coming to know he had applied for the registrar's post. He approached the District Court to quash the case. The next hearing is scheduled for October 23.