THRISSUR: The ongoing tug-of-war between the Kerala Kalamandalam authorities and the governor has taken a new turn with the Kalamandalam vice- chancellor failing to appear before the governor on Monday despite the latter summoning him.
According to reports, governor Arif Mohammed Khan had asked VC Prof T K Narayanan to come to the Raj Bhavan with all the files relating to the appointment and dismissal of the Kalamandalam PRO R Gopikrishnan, at 10.30am on Monday. While the governor had asked the Kalamandalam to re-appoint Gopikrishnan, it has not been done yet.
When contacted, the VC said he did not go the Raj Bhavan on Monday as a PIL relating to the appointment of the PRO is pending before the high court. "I'm a respondent in that case, and I have sent a letter to the Raj Bhavan requesting the governor to defer consideration of the issues relating to the appointment of the PRO till the HC takes a decision," Narayanan said.
However, the Raj Bhavan sources said the governor has taken a 'serious view' of VC's action. They said it was equivalent to an open defiance or insubordination. The governor has left for Chennai, and he would be back after a week. He would be taking some actions in the issue once he returns, they said.
The Save University Campaign Committee office-bearers have demanded that the Kalamandalam VC, who defied the governor's directive, should be expelled from the post. The Kalamandalam officials were arguing that being a deemed university, the governor could not be considered as the chancellor of Kalamandalam "by virtue of his office". They had even filed a petition in the HC in this regard but it was withdrawn later.
The VC said the post of the PRO at Kalamandalam was upgraded to assistant registrar in 2011. "I don't know how they have advertised the post in 2014, and appointed Gopikrishnan as PRO. There have been continuous audit objections since 2015 against the appointment of the PRO as there was no post of PRO in Kalamandalam. The pay commission reports also don't mention about such a post. I can't appoint a person to a non-existing post and pay his salary from my pocket," Prof Narayanan said.
The VC said the Kalamandalam had written to the state government requesting that the old posts may be retained. "We wrote another letter to the government seeking advice on the issue relating to Gopikrishnan but we are yet to receive any response," he said.
Gopikrishnan, however, said there was a PRO post at Kalamandalam, and he had applied for the post after seeing the advertisement inviting applicants.
"I was selected for the post after I became top in the interview. I was drawing the pre-revision salary. Even now there is an officiating PRO at Kalamandalam," Gopikrishnan said.
