The Kerala High Court on Wednesday extended till September 30 its interim order restraining the Kannur University from making appointments from the provisional rank list prepared for Malayalam Associate Professor which includes the name of Priya Varghese, wife of K.K. Ragesh, private secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to the post.
Justice Devan Ramachandran passed the order when a writ petition filed by Joseph Skariah, Assistant Professor in the Department of Malayalam at St. Berchmans College, Changanassery challenging the University’s decision to appoint Priya Varghese to the post came up for hearing.
Also Read | Stay on posting: Kannur University Syndicate to approach High Court
The court also impleaded the University Grants Committee (UGC) and directed it to file an affidavit. The petition sought a directive to the selection committee to rework the rank list for the post of Associate Professor after removing Priya Varghese from the list as she was ineligible to be appointed to the post.
The merit was bypassed while undertaking the process of selection of candidates. According to the petitioner, Priya Varghese was not qualified for the post as she did not have the requisite teaching experience.
