The Kerala University Syndicate on Tuesday decided to appoint a four-member subcommittee to conduct a preliminary examination into the alleged irregularities in the PhD thesis submitted by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State president Chintha Jerome.
The decision is based on a complaint submitted by Syndicate member R.S. Sasikumar to Vice Chancellor (V-C) in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal, which pointed out that no further action had been taken by the university despite the Governor having forwarded a complaint concerning the alleged widespread errors in Dr. Jerome’s PhD thesis.
Mr. Sasikumar, who also chairs the Save University Campaign Committee, had three years ago petitioned the then Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, following which the Lok Bhavan had sought a report from the university.
Suspension of degree
In his representation to the V-C, the Syndicate member demanded the suspension of the PhD degree if the preliminary inquiry establishes irregularities. A detailed investigation should be subsequently conducted by an expert committee.
The PhD degree was awarded to Dr. Jerome for her thesis on ‘Ideological Underpinnings in Select Malayalam Commercial Films of the Post-Liberation Era’. The complaint alleged that portions in the thesis were plagiarised from other publications. Besides, the evaluation process raised suspicion since the thesis that dealt with Malayalam cinema and its prominent actors was sent for evaluation to three Professors from Tamil Nadu and North India who are known for proficiency in other languages.
Copying detected
The Syndicate also decided to suspend the examination centre at the Thiruvananthapuram Law Academy after widespread copying was detected through CCTV footage. The Controller of Examinations has been entrusted with making alternative arrangements for students of the college to write their subsequent examinations.
The Syndicate decided to issue a notification for making deputation appointments to the posts of Registrar and Controller of Examinations.
It also decided to appoint Venu Mohan as Director of the Ayyankali Chair, A.M. Unnikrishnan as Director of the Chattambi Swami Centre, Tajudeen as Director of the Nehru Centre, and Lakshmi Sukumar as Director of the Centre for Women’s Studies. Sreekala will be appointed as Director of the Ganapati Sastri Chair.
Meanwhile, Left-backed Syndicate members staged a walkout in protest against the alleged withholding of Sanskrit research scholar Vipin Vijayan’s PhD degree. They accused the university of adopting a discriminatory approach towards the Dalit research scholar for over six months.
Published – September 15, 2026 08:52 pm IST
