Minister Roji hits out at MGU VC's order keeping journalists out of campus, calls it 'authoritarian'

Kottayam: Higher Education Minister Roji M John has strongly criticised the Mahatma Gandhi University order requiring journalists to obtain prior permission from the vice-chancellor to enter the campus for reporting, describing it as undemocratic. He urged the university to withdraw the order immediately.

The decision, issued by the office of the Registrar on the instructions of Vice-Chancellor Dr D Mavoothu, has drawn criticism from various organisations. The minister's intervention has added to the growing opposition to the move.

"Freedom of the press is an integral part of the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution," Roji M John said in a Facebook post. He added that such restrictions undermine the functioning of public institutions and directly challenge constitutional values.

Describing the move as an "authoritarian tendency" to curtail the smooth functioning of universities, he said campuses should remain spaces for independent thought and democratic debate.
"Whoever attempts to curtail press freedom, we will strongly oppose such moves," he said.

Calling for the immediate withdrawal of the order, the minister said the government would not allow such authoritarian measures to be implemented in any higher education institution in Kerala, not just Mahatma Gandhi University.

Earlier, university authorities defended the decision, citing instances of Syndicate members speaking to the media on political issues from their office rooms on the campus.

According to the official explanation, the vice-chancellor had prohibited Syndicate members from making such statements from within the campus. However, they continued to respond to the media, prompting the university to issue the order restricting journalists' entry, the authorities said.

The SFI, meanwhile, alleged that the move was part of an attempt to saffronise the university.