The torture and mental agony that Dr Ciza Thomas had to go through following the order of the Governor who is also the chancellor of universities, was immense. She was the victim of the power struggle between the governor and the government. Although late it is pleasing that Dr. Ciza got justice through the High Court verdict. The government issued a show-cause notice to her on the day of her retirement to withhold pay, pension and other retirement benefits during her last days of service. No high-ranking person in the state has faced such a fate for obeying the order of the governor, who has become unpopular with the government. It is not clear what the government has gained by intentionally harming a respectable woman who has served as a teacher and principal in engineering colleges and as a joint director in the Department of Technical Education.

The question of the Division Bench as to how disciplinary action can be taken against an officer at the direction of the Governor is very relevant. The appointment of Dr Ciza Thomas has caused the wrath of the government. The action taken by the government in this matter is a display of anti-imperialism. The humiliation that she had to face had tarnished the entire academic scene. The pro-government university officials teamed up and made every effort to drive her away but failed. It was a rude gesture that should never be shown to a high-ranking official who is a part of the government itself. The High Court fully upheld the process of Dr Ciza taking over as interim VC and quashed the proceedings including the show cause notice issued by the government against her. There is no doubt that this will become a unique case in the history of universities in the state. Officials should never be made scapegoats in the tug-of-war between the governor and the government.

It must be remembered that VC was not the only one who had to suffer due to the vindictive government action. This battle has caused a lot of difficulty for many students studying in engineering colleges. It was a period when students were very worried about not getting the certificate after the final year written exam results were announced. Overcoming the objections, the first step of the VC who took charge was to issue graduation certificates to the students quickly. The support and cooperation of the staff who were facing away were ensured as much as possible. When everything seemed calm, on the last day of service, the government issued a show-cause notice and sent her away. It remains one of the worst cases of abuse of power.