Kerala HC orders probe into appointment of Achuthanandan's son as state-run institute's Director

Kochi, June 27 (IANS) The Kerala High Court has ordered the registration of a case and a probe into the appointment of V.A. Arun Kumar, son of now seriously ailing former Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan, as the in-charge director of the state-run Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD).

The court also directed that the eligibility of Arun Kumar should be probed, as it wanted to see if, for the son of a former Chief Minister, the eligibility criterion was overlooked due to political pressure.

It pointed out that, according to the UGC guidelines, it is mandatory for the candidate to have seven years of teaching experience, but it’s strange to find out that someone with clerical experience has been given a promotion under political pressure.

The court order came on a petition by Kerala Technological University Professor and Dean Dr Vinu Thomas, who raised this issue.

Thomas's petition claimed that the Pinarayi Vijayan government amended the eligibility criteria for the IHRD Director to appoint Arun Kumar to the post.

Incidentally the qualifications for the IHRD Director position, as outlined under the IHRD Act, traditionally include a postgraduate degree in engineering, 15 years of teaching experience, the ability to guide PhD candidates, and a proven track record of guiding two doctoral students, in accordance with the norms set by the Indian Institute of Technical Education (IICTE).

However, in the amended eligibility criterion, instead of teaching experience, anyone who has worked as an Additional Director will be considered for the post of Director.

Arun Kumar was allegedly appointed as an Assistant Director in the IHRD during the CPI-M-led Left government led by the E.K.Nayanar government in 1997 and has since held positions within the organisation, including Managing Director of COIRFED and Joint Director at the IHRD.

Incidentally, in 2017, a year after the Vijayan government took over, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau gave him a clean chit, and his appointment was declared in order after Congress legislator P.C.Vishnunath demanded a probe into it in the floor of the Assembly when Oommen Chandy was the Chief Minister (2011-16).

--IANS

sg/vd