Kerala higher education minister R Bindu on Thursday accused Kerala University vice chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal of misusing his authority by suspending Registrar KS Anil Kumar. The suspension followed Anil Kumar’s decision to cancel permission for a programme at the university’s senate hall on 25 June, which was attended by governor Rajendra Arlekar.

Minister Bindu asserted that only the university syndicate holds the power to take disciplinary action against the registrar. “Anil Kumar can continue in office, as the VC has overstepped his powers in this matter,” she told reporters.

She further defended the registrar’s move to cancel the event, stating it was prompted by the display of a ‘Bharat Mata’ image — which she claimed is a religious symbol associated with the RSS — at the venue. “The registrar did not violate any rule. It was the governor who breached protocol by attending a cancelled event,” she said, alleging attempts to infiltrate RSS symbolism into the Raj Bhavan.

General education minister V Sivankutty echoed the criticism, accusing the vice chancellor of “acting like a goon” on behalf of the governor. “It is the governor who disrespected university statutes, not the registrar,” Sivankutty said, adding that constitutional limits restrict the governor’s powers.

He cited recent Supreme Court observations that governors must not exceed their authority, and claimed that the politicisation of governors has increased under the BJP-led central government.

The controversy has escalated tensions between the Kerala government and the Raj Bhavan, amid ongoing concerns over autonomy and constitutional propriety in the state’s higher education sector.

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