The Kerala High Court asked suspended University Registrar K S Anil Kumar how “Bharat Mata” could be seen as a religious symbol and why its portrait would create law and order issues during an event at Senate Hall.
The High Court questioned the suspended Registrar of Kerala University, K S Anil Kumar, about how “Bharat Mata” could be considered a religious symbol and why displaying a portrait of it might lead to law and order issues.
Justice N Nagaresh raised these inquiries during a hearing regarding Kumar’s challenge against his suspension, which occurred on July 2.
Kumar was suspended by Vice Chancellor Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal for allegedly canceling a private event attended by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Senate Hall, where a portrait of Bharat Mata with a saffron flag was shown.
The court denied Kumar’s request for an interim stay on his suspension, questioning him on how “Bharat Mata” constituted a religious symbol and what kind of law and order problems could arise from displaying it in Kerala.
The petitioner explained that tensions had escalated between the student organizations associated with the CPI(M) and the BJP specifically, the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) over the portrait’s display.
Additionally, he mentioned that the university’s security officer indicated a religious symbol was shown in the Senate Hall, which led to the program’s cancellation.
Kumar contended that the Vice Chancellor could only suspend the Registrar in emergency situations. The court clarified that the Vice Chancellor has the authority to issue orders when the syndicate is not in session and that the suspension must be approved by the senate.
It further questioned whether the matter could have been managed differently, especially with the Governor attending the event.
The court noted that the specific nature of the problem remained unclear and instructed the police to provide a response regarding any significant law and order issues. It also requested a detailed affidavit from the Registrar, scheduling the next hearing for Monday, July 7.
According to the suspension order dated July 2, Kumar had canceled the approval granted to the Sree Padmanabha Seva Samithi for using the University Senate Hall after the event had started and while the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the University, was present on stage.
The Registrar has denied the allegations, asserting that the cancellation notice was issued prior to the Governor’s arrival and that he possesses evidence to substantiate his claim.