The Kerala High Court on Friday refused to grant an immediate stay on the suspension of Kerala University Registrar Dr. KS Anil Kumar, who was suspended by the vice-chancellor over a row involving a Bharat Mata portrait at a function attended by Governor Rajendra Arlekar.
While considering a petition moved by the Kerala University registrar challenging his suspension from service following the recent controversy over his opposition to the use of Bharat Mata portrait with a saffron flag at an event involving Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, a single bench of Justice N Nagaresh raised severe criticisms against Registrar Anil Kumar .
The court said the registrar’s actions undermined the dignity of the Governor. The matter should have been handled differently. It questioned the police’s ability to manage the law-and-order situation at the venue, calling it unfortunate that Bharat Mata has been referred to as a woman carrying a flag.
The court asked the police to clarify whether there was indeed such a serious law and order issue during the June 25 event that they were unable to control, despite the governor of Kerala attending the event.
The court ordered the state police and the university to file their response by Monday.
“I also want to know the police’s version. Such a violent situation which the Kerala Police was not able to handle, in a program where a Governor is attending, was there such a big problem?” Justice Nagaresh asked.
The court asked the Registrar’s lawyer why he had ordered the program in which the Governor was participating to be stopped. The lawyer informed the court that the program was ordered to be stopped because a religious symbol was displayed. To this , the court asked the counsel what religious symbol was displayed at the university Senate hall during the function.
The court criticized the lawyer’s description of “Bharat Mata, a woman holding a flag”. When pressed, the Registrar’s counsel said the image displayed was of a Hindu deity. The court said it was unfortunate that Bharat Mata was described as a woman carrying a flag.
The registrar’s counsel argued in court on Friday that the vice-chancellor had overstepped his authority by suspending the registrar without following due procedure. According to him, only the University Syndicate, which is his appointing authority, has the legal power to suspend him. He contended that the vice-chancellor acted unilaterally, without a Syndicate decision, which constitutes a clear violation of the University Act. He described the suspension as arbitrary, improper, illegal, and discriminatory.
The court will hear the petition again on Monday.