The Kannur University has appointed Priya Varghese, wife of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s private secretary KK Ragesh, associate professor in the Malayalam department.

The order issued on Friday instructed Priya to take charge within 15 days

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The appointment order was issued on the basis of the order of the division bench of the Kerala High Court which set aside the order of a single bench that directed the Kannur University to reconsider the teaching experience of Priya Varghese and the legal advice given by the Advocate General and standing counsel of the university.

The division bench had last month quashed a single bench order that  Priya Varghese did not have sufficient qualifications and that her appointment as associate professor in the Malayalam department should be reconsidered.

While setting aside the order of the single bench, a division bench comprising Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Mohammed Nias C P held that the period spent by Priya Varghese on pursuing her Ph.D. degree under the Faculty Development Programme could not be excluded while considering the period of teaching experience. Regulation 3.11 of the UGC Regulations, 2018 was the relevant provision here, which reads:

“The time taken by candidates to acquire M.Phil. and/or Ph.D. Degree shall not be considered as teaching/research experience to be claimed for appointment to the teaching positions. Further the period of active service spent on pursuing Research Degree simultaneously with teaching assignment without  any kind of leave, shall be counted as teaching experience for the purpose of direct recruitment/promotion.”

A single bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran In November 2022, had held that Priya Varghese did not possess the requisite teaching experience, to be  appointed as Associate Professor at the Department of Malayalam at Kannur University and directed the competent authority of the University to  reconsider her credentials and decide whether she should continue on the Rank List.

In this connection, it may be noted that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan , in his capacity as Chancellor of the university, has  frozen Priya Varghese’s appointment on August 17, 2022, alleging nepotism. This order has not yet been revoked by the Governor.

Meanwhile, the UGC has stated that it will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the  division bench order  which   ruled that the period spent by Priya Varghese on pursuing her Ph.D. degree under the Faculty Development Programme could not be excluded while considering the period of teaching experience

The UGC may also seek an immediate stay of the Kerala  High Court’s division bench order, it is learnt.