AP Jayadevan, principal of Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur handed in his resignation yesterday as a sign of protest over the announcement of the appointment of R Bindu, former Thrissur mayor and wife of CPM state secretary A Vijayaraghavan, as the vice-principal of the college. According to Jayadevan, who expressed his displeasure over the appointment, the management had not informed him about the decision. He also said the board’s order is illegal.
The order appointing R Bindu, who is associate professor of the college as vice principal was issued on October 30. According to the order issued by the Cochin Devasom Board, which manages the college, Bindu has been given certain key responsibilities of the principal, and that the current principal's duty was limited to mere conduct of exams and management of college.
Bindu, who took charge as the vice-principal on November 12, however, states that there has been no violation of rules in her appointment and that the appointment was based on the 2018 regulations of the UGC and was approved by the University of Calicut in February 2020. “There are no monetary benefits for the role. A vice-principal can be appointed in a college that has more than 1,000 students to ease the workload of the principal. The duties given to me were decided by the governing body of the college. I am also eligible for the role, being the senior-most professor of the college after the principal. This controversy has come up because I am the wife of Vijayaraghavan,” said Bindu, citing the appointment of vice-principals at St Joseph’s College (Irinjalakuda), Vimala College (Thrissur) and Panampilly Government Memorial College to support her claim.
