Kochi ∙ The High Court is hearing a petition alleging that Priya Varghese, wife of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s private secretary KK Ragesh, does not have enough teaching experience to be appointed to the post of associate professor in Kannur University. A bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran will deliver the verdict. Dr. Priya Varghese, who is second in the appointment list, is requested to be excluded from the appointment list. The petition was filed by Joseph Scaria. The High Court had earlier stayed the appointment of Priya Varghese on the petition.
The court observed that teachers are nation builders. The court criticized Priya Varghese’s post on Facebook against the High Court’s criticism. The court said that what was happening was unpleasant. The court stated that he did not remember saying the matter of digging a pit. Justice Devan Ramanchandran said that he was also a part of NSS. The other day, in response to the High Court’s harsh criticism during the hearing of the petition, Priya posted that ‘Not a hole for the National Service Scheme, but a toilet but only pride’.
It is argued in the petition that Priya Varghese went for PhD studies and went on deputation as the director of students, that it does not constitute teaching. However, Priya’s counsel argued that both of these can be counted as teaching experience and that she held the additional charge of NSS Coordinator while being the director of students.
He said that unspecified qualifications should not be raised in court before the court screening committee, which raised questions such as whether he had taught during deputation and when he was a student director, and whether the role of NSS coordinator was shown in the application as teaching experience. The counsel for the UGC had explained that it can be considered teaching only if it is carried out along with research and teaching and that is not the case here.
Priya Varghese had posted against this on Facebook and later retracted it. Among the 6 people considered for the appointment of associate professor, Priya was the lowest in the research score. After the interview, Priya Varghese, who was the first with 651 marks, replaced Joseph Scaria, who was the first with 651 marks, and became the second after the interview. Priya got 32 marks in the interview and Joseph Skaria got 30. Governor Arif Muhammad Khan froze the appointment process of associate professor after the controversy of giving first rank to Priya Varghese.
English Summary: Kerala High Court order on Priya Varghese’s Appointment