Thiruvananthapuram: A fresh circular issued by Kerala University has triggered outrage among student organisations, after Vice Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal directed affiliated colleges to insist on an affidavit from applicants declaring they are not involved in any criminal proceedings.

According to the circular, every admission application must be accompanied by an affidavit answering four questions:

  • Whether the applicant has ever been debarred from a college.
  • Whether they are an accused in any criminal case.
  • Whether they have been convicted of crimes against women or other offences.
  • Whether they have engaged in examination malpractice.

The circular also empowers college councils to take disciplinary action if any student is later found to have violated the undertaking or becomes accused in a criminal case.

University officials maintain that the move is necessary to uphold discipline and academic integrity, pointing to a recent case in which a student debarred for three years for using WhatsApp to cheat during an exam attempted to secure re-admission into another course.

However, the decision has sparked a sharp political backlash. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) condemned the circular as “discriminatory and authoritarian.”

SFI state secretary PS Sanjeev, in a Facebook post, accused the Vice Chancellor of being “unfit for the post” and warned that “reactionary orders like this will be thrown into the dustbin of history.”

The Kerala Students Union (KSU) too joined the protest, with its president Aloshiyous Xavier terming the directive “draconian” and vowing to resist its implementation.

With Kerala University standing firm and student organisations preparing for campus agitations, the issue is expected to snowball into a major flashpoint in the state’s higher education sector.