Another job applicant is taking legal action against Kannur University, alleging favoritism. Safna Hussan K P ranked third in the open category for the Assistant Professor position in the Department of Physics, with the distinction of being the first Muslim in the open category. However, in the Muslim category, Safna was placed third, with the top two ranks going to Ahmed Rizwaz C L and Anshida Mayeen, who weren’t even called for interviews in the open competition. Safna, who is currently in France for an academic event, has authorized a lawyer to challenge the ranking in the High Court of Kerala.
The Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (KPCTA), affiliated with the Congress, has taken up Safna’s case, comparing it to the controversial appointment of Dr. Priya Varghese in the Department of Malayalam. Dr. Varghese, the wife of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s private secretary, had a research score of 156 points and ranked first among six research scholars considered for the Associate Professor position. Dr. Joseph Scaria, who had the highest score of 651 points, was placed second. The job announcement for 31 assistant professor positions in 17 departments across 10 categories was made on June 15, 2022.
On September 29 of the same year, the screening committee shortlisted 34 candidates in the open category and 18 in the Muslim category for interviews. In the open category, five Muslim candidates made the cut, with Safna and Haris ranking third and sixth, respectively.
Kerala categorizes the entire Muslim community as OBC and reserves positions in educational institutions and government jobs for them. The Kerala service rules dictate specific allocations among different sub-reservations, with Muslims receiving 12 out of every 40 direct OBC appointments other than last grade. In contrast, Ahmed Rizwan and Anshida Mayeen, who ranked first and second in the Muslim category, did not qualify for interviews in the open category.
University officials claim that the top two candidates in the Muslim category outperformed open category candidates during interviews, including Safna. They introduced a cutoff score of 85 for the general category due to a large number of applications, while reducing it to 55 for the Muslim category due to fewer applications. Despite the UGC’s recommendation for a minimum of 10 interviewees, the university invited 34 candidates in the open category and 18 in the Muslim category. Dr. Scaria argues that there should have been only one shortlist, interview board, and ranking list for a single job announcement.
Dr. Jose of KPCTA alleges a lack of transparency in faculty appointments at Kannur University, and disputes Vice-chancellor Prof Gopinath Ravindran’s selection process. The situation remains contentious, with concerns about fairness and transparency in the university’s recruitment practices.
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