Kerala Law Academy: Police Register Case Against College Principal Lakshmi Nair

A case was registered under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act against Principal of a private law college, where the students are on strike since the past 20 days, demanding her resignation. The case against the Principal Lakshmi Nair has been registered under Sect 31 (s) of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, which was a non-bailable offence, police said. The case was registered on a complaint of harassment by some students for calling them by their caste names. A group of Students of the Kerala Law Academy Law College, a private management institution, are on a war path since the past 20 days protesting against the alleged harassment and demanding the removal of the Principal, who is the daughter of a close relative of a former CPI(M) MLA. Congress today decided to sharpen their attack against the college authorities by demanding the immediate resignation of the Principal. KPCC President V M Sudheeran said in the wake of the Kerala university syndicate debarring the principal for five years from examination duties and internal assessment, there was no other option left for her, but to resign.

Alleging that the impasse over the issue was continuing due to the CPI(M)'s intervention, he said the Marxist party should not create any hurdles on the matter concerning the students agitation. "The Principal should resign and government should be prepared to make her resign. The affiliation of the college should be withdrawn and government should take it over", he told reporters here. Former KPCC President, K Muraleedharan said if the government fails to find a solution to the issue within 48 hours, he would launch an indefinite hunger strike. BJP National Executive member, V Muraleedharan, is on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the college since Jan 20 in support of the demands of the students. The ruling CPI(M), which has so far given a cold shoulder to the agitation, has said the strike by students should not be politicised. Students organisations affiliated to various political parties, including CPI(M), are on strike and have made it clear that they would continue until the resignation of the Principal.

VS Achuthanandan writes to revenue minister on Kerala Law Academy issue Continuing with his tirade against the Left government and the CPM leadership, Administrative Reforms Commission chairman VS Achuthanandan made fresh remarks on the Kerala Law Academy fiasco. Even as his party bosses are playing it safe, the CPM veteran wrote to revenue minister E Chandrasekharan urging the government to take over the Academy land used for other purposes. The former chief minister also sought to know the legal status of the land allegedly in possession of the academy. The department should take up an enquiry to verify whether the land was allocated to the trust and if it is being misused, he said. Raising another allegation, VS demanded a probe into the construction and sale of flats by the trust in association with a private real estate construction company at Punnen Road. There should be stringent verification regarding the utilisation of government land, asked the veteran leader. The CPM which has been playing down the academy strike, has been attempting to portray it as a mere students' issue. Party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had, the other day, rejected Achuthanandan's demand seeking the government to take over the land. He had also insisted that the strike should be treated only as a students' agitation. On Monday, VS publicly challenged the party stance terming the strike a 'public issue' which needs the society's attention. “Those who should rein in the power centres should not surrender before the (Law Academy) management,” he had stated.

The brewing unrest among students following the death of engineering aspirant Jishnu Pranoy broke the stream barriers and reached the Kerala Law Academy Law College on Friday. The college was closed down indefinitely following a joint strike by students’ unions for denying them opportunity to protest against the death of Jishnu. But the students strike had a private angle too to it. The representatives of KSU, AISF and MSF in a joint press meet alleged principal Lekshmi Nair denied the permission to protest knowing that they would expose the management practices before students. They also alleged that the principal - who anchors a cookery show - devotes more time to her television programme than running the college.

“The principal initially gave us permission to address students in the class. But later she changed her mind and decided to stop classes. The academy is not running as per the norms and students are at the receving end,” said Vivek V J of AISF. The unions al s o alleged the principal had been harassing students who opposed to her. “The principal uses her discretion in awarding internal marks and attendance. Twenty one students h av e l o s t their valuable academic year due to this,” said Naimathulla of MSF. Students accused Lekshmi of running the institution through her relatives and threatening students and staff using goons. Meanwhile, Lekshmi has refuted the allegations. “I am present in the college. I go for the shoot during weekends or on holidays. Most of the students who are protesting do not have attendance mandated by the university and many have failed in multiple papers,” she said. Lekshmi said she decided to close down the college as students’ unions wanted to harass her. “Unions have threatened me, my son and his fiance who is studying in the college,” she said.