KU move to grant PhD admission to murder convict slammed

Kerala University (KU) has waded into controversy by allegedly considering a proposal to grant full-time PhD registration to a murder convict.

The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) which has cried foul over the move has petitioned the Vice-Chancellor to avoid adopting such a decision.

The Syndicate Standing Committee on Academics and Research, which recently examined certain PhD applications that had certain defects recommended the Registrar to examine such cases. Dhanesh Kalathumkandi, one of the applicants, has been undergoing life imprisonment in a case of political violence. He apparently could not complete his application from the Kannur Central Prison where he is lodged.

He had earlier completed LLM from Kannur University after obtaining parole. While he was granted parole again in 2022 to appear for the UGC National Eligibility Test (NET), he could not clear the examination. He passed the PhD entrance examination conducted by KU last November.

In its complaint, the SUCC accused the Syndicate of enabling the former activist of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) to obtain parole for five years on account of undertaking research.