Kannur (Kerala), Sep 7 (IANS): CPI-M Kannur's district Secretary K.K. Ragesh is facing a fresh political and legal challenge, with Kannur University set to reverse its stand in the Supreme Court on the controversial appointment of his wife, Priya Varghese, as Associate Professor.
The university has changed its counsel ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday and is expected to inform the court that Varghese does not possess the qualifications required for the post.
The move marks a dramatic departure from the university’s earlier stand that her appointment was entirely legal and that she possessed the required teaching experience.
The university has appointed advocate P.S. Zulfiqar Ali, the state government’s new standing counsel in the Supreme Court, to represent it in the case.
Until now, the university had been represented by advocate K.R. Subhash Chandran, a former SFI leader and an active functionary of the CPI-M's lawyers’ organisation.
Ragesh and Subhash Chandran were SFI colleagues during the same period.
The sudden change comes at a particularly difficult time for Ragesh, who has already come under attack from within the CPI-M in Kannur following an extraordinary challenge to the party establishment by rebel MLA T.K. Govindan.
Govindan, a former top CPI-M leader in Kannur, defied the party line just ahead of the Assembly elections by contesting the Thaliparambu seat against P.K. Shyamala, wife of CPI-M state Secretary M.V. Govindan.
Shyamala’s defeat in what had long been considered a CPI-M citadel sent shockwaves through the party.
At a public party meeting, Ragesh had described Govindan as a “Brutus”.
Govindan subsequently hit back, questioning Ragesh’s meteoric rise within the party and calling for a probe into his assets.
He noted that Ragesh entered political life while working as a plumber and electrician, but subsequently rose to become a Rajya Sabha member, private secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and, eventually, CPI-M Kannur district Secretary.
With the university now preparing to abandon its earlier defence of Varghese's appointment, the issue has acquired a new political dimension.
The Kerala High Court’s single bench and the UGC had earlier raised questions over her research and teaching experience, while the university and the previous Left government had continued to defend her appointment.
The fresh stand by Kannur University could therefore prove decisive in the Supreme Court case and leave Ragesh facing pressure on two fronts, the political challenge from within Kannur CPI-M and the legal uncertainty surrounding his wife’s appointment.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.