SC orders appointment of candidate who was rejected by Kerala University; 14-year-old legal battle of teacher turns success

NEW DELHI: A legal battle against the Kerala University, which rejected the candidate who should have been at the top of the list of teachers on the ground of baseless reasons, has been won after 14 years. Bindu, a Grade-3 assistant professor at the Thycaud Government Training College, had questioned the appointment in 2007 and got a favorable verdict from the Supreme Court 14 years later.

The apex court, comprising Justices KM Joseph and Ravindra Bhat, ordered that Bindu should be appointed with retrospective effect and that her lost fourteen years of service should be accepted. Fifty-three-year-old Bindu can remain in service until the age of sixty. Bindu, who came first in the written test and interview, was then rejected on the grounds that her dissertation was published in unrecognized publications. The court ordered to appoint Bindu by accepting as the first ranker after the university admitted that these publications have recognition. No one will lose their job since the wife of the syndicate member who was appointed as the first ranker at that time went to another university in a higher position.

Bindu had applied for two of the four vacant posts for the general category. With a score of 74 in the written test and interview, Bindu was expected to come first with ten marks for the dissertation. With her dissertation getting rejected, she was dropped to the third rank.

Although the single bench of the High Court had ordered to appoint her by raising her rank, the division bench allowed the University's appeal. Bindu approached the Supreme Court against this. It was Malayali lawyer VK Biju who appeared for Bindu.

After 14 years of struggle, Bindu got justice
Dr. TV Bindu has emerged victorious in the legal battle that lasted for long 14 years. Despite having necessary qualifications and becoming number one on merit, she was forced to take up a legal battle against Kerala University after it rejected her in order to appoint 'dear ones.'

Bindu, who applied for the post of Assistant Professor in the Department of Education in 2007, had scored 74 marks in the written test and interview. Bindu was sure to secure the first rank with marks for the dissertation. Bindu had nine publications, including one in an international journal. All of this was accepted by the university. In order to sabotage her appointment, the university later rejected her by claiming that her publications were published in unrecognized journals. Thus, she was dropped to the third rank.

With the strategies of some high officials becoming a success, the wife of the then syndicate member, who got 78 marks, secured the first rank. The then Vice-Chancellor was Dr. M. Keramachandran Nair, who was accused by the Crime Branch in the Assistant recruitment fraud case.