NIT-Calicut dean appointment sparks controversy amid Nathuram Godse-linked social media row final yr

The appointment of Shaija Andavan, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering on the Nationwide Institute of Expertise – Calicut (NIT-C) who courted controversy in 2024 together with her touch upon a social media publish praising Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s murderer, as one of many Deans of the institute has kicked up an issue with some school members alleging that standard seniority norms weren’t adopted in her appointment.

Nonetheless, NIT-C authorities have dismissed these allegations, stating that the statutes of the NIT Act have been adopted in Ms. Andavan’s appointment as Dean (Planning and Improvement) for 2 years.

As per the Act, the director of NIT is empowered to nominate deans with intimation to the chairperson of the Board of Governors. Solely professors or affiliate professors are eligible to grow to be deans. In addition to, deans, who’re appointed for 2 years, could also be given a one-year extension.

“I’ve been chairing a multidisciplinary centre in NIT-C for the final 4 years. The centre has 40 school members underneath it and my place was equal to that of a head of the division”, mentioned Ms. Andavan in response to the allegations, including that she can also be one of many senior most professors of the Institute with 38 years of educating expertise.

Beforehand, NIT administrators sought functions from professors or affiliate professors who wished to take up the publish of dean. In addition to, solely those that had been heads of departments have been entrusted with the extra obligations of a dean. “This was the conference adopted some years in the past, however it’s not necessary,” a senior school member mentioned.

He mentioned the appointment of Ms. Andavan was “authorized.”

Deans are appointed in six classes – Tutorial, Planning and Improvement, College students’ Welfare, School Welfare, Analysis and Consultancy, and Worldwide, Alumni, and Company Relations.

The present controversy stems from her social media remark praising Godse. She had commented, “Pleased with Godse for saving India”, beneath a social media publish from a profile named ‘Adv Krishna Raj’. The publish featured a picture of Godse and a caption stating he was “a hero to many individuals of Bharat”. Later, Ms. Andavan deleted the remark, claiming that the general public misunderstood it.

Based mostly on a criticism by a member of the College students Federation of India (SFI), the Kunnamangalam police charged Ms. Andavan underneath IPC Part 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to trigger riot). She was additionally interrogated twice in reference to the case. Subsequently, she secured a bail from the Kunnamangalam Judicial First Class Justice of the Peace Court docket.

Ms. Andavan will take cost as dean from April 7. She’s going to substitute Priya Chandran, Professor within the Division of Laptop Science and Engineering, who might be finishing her time period as dean.

In the meantime, the District Congress Committee has demanded the NIT-C director revoke her appointment. It additionally referred to as for protests within the coming days.