Appointment of wife of Pinarayi's PS under scanner after marksheet emerges

Priya Varghese is the wife of KK Ragesh, the Private Secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Priya Varghese wife of Kerala CPI(M) leader KK Ragesh
Priya Varghese wife of Kerala CPI(M) leader KK Ragesh
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The reply to a query through an RTI (Right to Information) points to irregularity in the appointment of Priya Varghese as Associate Professor of Kerala's Kannur University. Priya Varghese is the wife of KK Ragesh, Private Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and a former CPI(M) MP of the Rajya Sabha. The appointment of Priya has sparked off a controversy as complaints were raised that she didn’t possess the required qualifications. 

The RTI shows that Priya, from among all the candidates who gave an interview for the post, scored the lowest for published research articles. She is also the one with the least experience in teaching.  

The second-ranked candidate Joseph Scaria, secured a higher research score -651 as compared to Priya, who secured 156. Another candidate, C Ganesh, scored 645. However, Priya was awarded the first rank after the interview. Priya's appointment was in the Malayalam department of the University. 

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has sought a report from Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran on the alleged irregularity in the appointment of Priya Varghese. The report was sought on a complaint lodged by the Save University Campaign, a whistleblower collective. The Save University Campaign Committee and a few others have been protesting ever since Priya’s name appeared among the six candidates shortlisted for the interview.

Priya used to work as an Assistant Professor at the Kerala Varma College, Thrissur. She was appointed to the Kannur University in June this year. The appointment was approved by the University syndicate after seeking legal advice following complaints that were raised against the appointment. 

Those opposing her appointment highlighted that the qualifications required to become an associate professor included having a Ph.D degree and eight years of teaching experience, which she did not have. They claimed that the three years of leave she had taken to complete her Ph.D, cannot be counted as teaching experience. Besides, her experience of two years as a student director on deputation at the Kannur University also cannot be counted as teaching experience, they said.

With IANS inputs

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