Heated exchange between VC and Syndicate members at Kerala Technological University meeting

Thiruvananthapuram: A dispute erupted between the Vice-Chancellor and Syndicate members during a meeting of the syndicate at the Kerala Technological University. This was the first syndicate meeting chaired by Dr K Sivaprasad, a professor from CUSAT, after taking over as the VC of the university following the retirement of Dr Saji Gopinath.

The disagreement arose over an investigation committee report against R Praveen, president of the Congress-affiliated employees' union. The Vice-Chancellor objected to the report being included directly in the meeting agenda and discussed without prior review or approval. This led to a heated exchange between the Vice-Chancellor and the syndicate members, after which the Vice-Chancellor adjourned the meeting.

Following the adjournment, syndicate members reconvened and held a meeting without the Vice-Chancellor. The Registrar, who also serves as the Secretary of the syndicate, participated in this unauthorised meeting. In response, the Vice-Chancellor issued a show-cause notice to the Registrar for attending the meeting after it had been officially adjourned.

The Vice-Chancellor has submitted a detailed report to the Governor, highlighting the unauthorised nature of the reconvened syndicate meeting and the Registrar’s participation in it, which he deemed a violation of procedural norms.