Please see our post ‘Success Story’

After having published the short-list of candidates to the post of assistants on 9 – 10 – 2007 in response to our RTI application dated 6 – 8 – 2007 and the RTI appeal dated 9 – 9 – 2007 the Kerala University (K U) has gone ahead with the interview of 2114 persons for selection for the 400 vacancies during November 15 to December 20. K U Vice-Chancellor informed the media on 26 – 10 – 2007 that the total marks for the test and interview will be on a 75:25 ratio (against the norms of 20 marks fixed by the PSC) after analyzing factors like academic performance and extra-curricular activities and hand-writing, and the members of the interview board were picked strictly in accordance with the rules. The interview board consists of Vice-Chancellor M.K Ramachandran Nair and syndicate members (all of the CPM fellow-travelers and office bearers) B.S Rajiv, A.A Rasheed, K.A Andrew and M.P Russel. The mark for the written test was 100, but the selection committee decided to revise it to 75. So marks scored by the candidates have been proportionately reduced. This would mean that the marks for the interview would come to around 33.33 percent of the marks for written test. Those who scored upto 64 marks out of 100 in the written test were called for interview. The highest mark scored was 91. 150 appointments will be made in the first phase. One of the allegations was that some applicants with high marks in the written test were eliminated in the interview process.
After the selection process were completed one-third of 200 candidates who were selected for appointments to the post of assistants are either close relatives or associates of CPM link party men - daughter-in-laws, daughters, brothers, two children of pro-CPM private teachers organization AKPCTA, son and daughter of CPM local committee Secretary. One of the notable inclusions in the list is the daughter of the present opposition leader’s special private secretary’s daughter. Of the first 160 rank-holders in the list, 110 are from Thiruvananthapuram 15 are from the native place of a syndicate member, two are the neighbors of the VC and one is the nephew of the Pro-VC.
Flouting all the norms, the KU syndicate had authorized the VC to do the tabulation work of the assistant test which was done in the personal computer of VC. According to sources, the tabulation of the marks was personally monitored by him. The usual practice was to tabulate the marks of such examinations in the confidential room of the Registrar under his supervision. Now the UPA Lokayukta came out heavily on the KU for failing to produce OMR answer sheets and other related documents of the selection process and also suo moto included Pro-VC as the third accused in the case before it filed by a senate member of KU. The VC and the Registrar are the first and the second accused.

Present stage of the case: It is lagging before the toothless Lok Ayukta for the last three months without any decision