Controversy erupts over KTU BoG meeting
A controversy is brewing over a Board of Governors (BoG) meeting of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU), scheduled for May 22, which has been convened by the Chancellor.
The special session, mainly called to present the university Budget for 2025-26, has sparked concerns with various quarters alleging the meeting is being convened in violation of university norms.
In a joint statement on Monday, Left-leaning All Kerala Private College Teachers' Association and the University Employees Confederation argued that the Chancellor does not possess the authority to directly convene a BoG meeting under the University Act. They also claimed that the notification that intimated BoG members of the meeting was issued by the former Registrar whose tenure ended on March 3. With the university yet to appoint a new Registrar, the communication has further raised concerns about its legitimacy.
The organisations further alleged that the notice has not been sent to all BoG members, particularly those who were nominated under the amended university law five years ago. While several of these members were subjects of petitions that demanded their removal, such pleas were subsequently dismissed by the Kerala High Court. The court had then upheld their continuation in office until the end of their legally defined term.
However, these members have allegedly been denied invitation to the upcoming meeting. While the university sought clarification on the issue, the Raj Bhavan responded that it is up to the university to adopt appropriate action.
The organisations also alleged that the key agenda for the meeting, i.e., the presentation of the university Budget, is also a matter of contention. The Syndicate and the finance committee, which are responsible for preparing and presenting the budget, are yet to undertake the tasks.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Historic first: Florida board rejects UF president pick, Santa Ono, in move with national implications for US academia
In an unprecedented decision on June 3, 2025, the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) rejected the appointment of Dr. Santa Ono as the next president of the University of Florida (UF), marking the first time in its history that the board overturned a university's presidential selection. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The vote, which failed 6–10 with one member absent, stunned UF leadership and sent ripples through academic circles across the US. Dr. Ono, a distinguished academic leader who previously served as president of the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia, had been unanimously approved by UF's Board of Trustees on May 27, 2025. He was the sole finalist presented by UF's Presidential Search Committee. The decision by the state's higher education board has now forced UF to restart its presidential search process entirely. A clash over ideology and past leadership During a nearly three-hour hearing in Orlando, board members sharply questioned Ono about his views and leadership record. As reported by Mass Live, much of the scrutiny focused on Ono's past support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, his position on race-based versus merit-based admissions, gender-affirming care, climate change policies, and his response to the Covid-19 pandemic during his time at Michigan. B Tired of too many ads? go ad free now oard Vice-Chair Alan Levine questioned Ono for nearly 40 minutes, raising concerns about his handling of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and his stance on antisemitism. According to Mass Live, Ono defended his record, stating, "What happened on Oct. 7 deeply affected the members of my community and me personally, and so at UF I would be consistently focused on making sure antisemitism does not rear its head again. " BOG member Paul Renner, a Republican and former Florida House speaker, led a particularly aggressive line of questioning on DEI and race-based admissions. As reported by Mass Live, Renner cited a binder of past statements and articles and repeatedly pressed Ono on the timeline of his remarks. At one point, Renner interrupted Ono's clarification, saying, "I appreciate the answer, but I didn't ask about DEI." Concerns over fairness and political pressure Several board members raised concerns about the fairness of the process. As quoted by Mass Live, Charles Lydecker, a BOG member and part of UF's presidential search committee, said, "We have never used this as a forum to interrogate… candidly, this process does not feel fair to me." Board Chair Brian Lamb also acknowledged that it would have been more appropriate for Ono to receive the documents Renner referenced in advance. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, while not publicly opposing Ono, has long been critical of DEI initiatives in public institutions. In 2023, he signed legislation banning such programs from Florida's public colleges. On May 29, 2025, he said during a press event that some of Ono's previous statements made him "cringe," but that the final decision was left to the BOG, most of whom were his appointees. A costly leadership setback Dr. Ono had been expected to sign a five-year contract with a base salary of $1.5 million annually, with bonuses potentially bringing the total to $15 million. This would have made him one of the highest-paid public university presidents in the country. Mori Hosseini, chair of UF's Board of Trustees, expressed disappointment during the hearing. As quoted by Mass Live, he called the questioning "heartbreaking" and noted, "You all decided today is the day we're going to take somebody down." He also revealed that Paul Renner had previously inquired about the UF presidency before joining the BOG in April 2025. Renner acknowledged this but claimed he would not have accepted the position. What's next for UF and US academia With Ono's rejection, UF must begin its search for a new president from scratch. It remains unclear whether other candidates from the original process will be reconsidered. The incident has sparked debate nationwide about the politicization of higher education and the growing tension between university autonomy and state oversight. The ramifications of this historic rejection are expected to be felt beyond Florida, as universities across the US watch closely how political influence is reshaping public education leadership.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Damning IAEA report spells out past secret nuclear activities in Iran
Iran carried out secret nuclear activities with material not declared to the U.N. nuclear watchdog at three locations that have long been under investigation, the watchdog said in a wide-ranging, confidential report to member states seen by Reuters. The findings in the 'comprehensive' International Atomic Energy Agency report requested by the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in November pave the way for a push by the United States, Britain, France and Germany for the board to declare Iran in violation of its non-proliferation obligations. A resolution would infuriate Iran and could further complicate nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Using the IAEA report's findings, the four Western powers plan to submit a draft resolution for the board to adopt at its next meeting the week of June 9, diplomats say. It would be the first time in almost 20 years Iran has formally been found in non-compliance. Iran's foreign ministry and the Iranian nuclear agency rejected the report, calling it 'politically motivated' in a joint statement. They said Tehran will take 'appropriate measures' in response to any effort to take action against the country at the Board of Governors meeting, state media reported, without elaborating. Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. While many of the findings relate to activities dating back decades and have been made before, the IAEA report's conclusions were more definitive. It summarised developments in recent years and pointed more clearly towards coordinated, secret activities, some of which were relevant to producing nuclear weapons. It also spelled out that Iran's cooperation with IAEA continues to be 'less than satisfactory' in 'a number of respects'. The IAEA is still seeking explanations for uranium traces found years ago at two of four sites it has been investigating. Three hosted secret experiments, it found. The IAEA has concluded that 'these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear programme carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material', the report said. Nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment from that programme was stored at the fourth site, Turquzabad, between 2009 and 2018, it said. 'The Agency concludes that Iran did not declare nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three undeclared locations in Iran, specifically, Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, and Turquzabad,' the report said. At Lavisan-Shian in Tehran, a disc made of uranium metal was 'used in the production of explosively-driven neutron sources' at least twice in 2003, a process designed to initiate the explosion in a nuclear weapon, the report said, adding that it was part of 'small-scale' tests. The report is likely to lead to Iran being referred to the U.N. Security Council, though that would probably happen at a later IAEA board meeting, diplomats said. More immediately, it is likely to lead to Iran again accelerating or expanding its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, as it has done after previous rebukes at the board. It could also further complicate talks with the United States aimed at reining in that programme. A separate IAEA report sent to member states on Saturday said Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade, had grown by roughly half to 408.6 kg. That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Both IAEA reports said enrichment to such a high level was 'of serious concern' since it is the only country to do so without producing nuclear weapons. Israel, which has long urged strong action against Iran's nuclear programme, said the IAEA report showed Tehran was determined to complete its nuclear weapons programme. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the world should act now to stop Iran from doing this. U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA have long believed Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons programme that it halted in 2003. Iran denies ever having had one. Separately on Saturday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his Omani counterpart presented elements of a U.S. proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington during a short visit to Tehran. In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said later on Saturday that President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff 'has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it's in their best interest to accept it.' She declined to provide further details. Araqchi said in a post on X that Iran 'will respond to the U.S. proposal in line with the principles, national interests and rights of people of Iran'. His statement came ahead of an anticipated sixth round of talks between Washington and Tehran. The date and venue of talks have not yet been announced.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Release pension, benefits to Ciza Thomas in 2 weeks: HC to govt
Kochi: In a major setback to the state govt, Kerala high court on Friday ordered the release of all terminal benefits due to Ciza Thomas, former vice-chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (formerly Kerala Technological University), within two weeks. Allowing the petition filed by Thomas seeking the disbursement of pensionary benefits and monthly pension, a division bench of Justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Johnson John held that the govt violated her fundamental rights by denying her terminal benefits. Thomas retired from service on March 31, 2023. On the same day, a charge memo was issued to her, alleging that she had assumed charge as the vice-chancellor without the approval of the govt. However, despite these rulings, the state govt continued to withhold her death-cum-retirement gratuity and other retirement benefits, prompting her to approach the court once again. The only justification provided by the govt for withholding her pensionary benefits was that it had filed a review petition before the apex court against the dismissal of its special leave petition challenging the quashing of proceedings against Thomas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo The court observed that no disciplinary proceedings were pending against her, no adverse claims were raised, and a liability certificate was already issued. Citing Rule 3 of Part III of the Kerala Service Rules (KSR), it clarified that the govt may withhold pension only if departmental or judicial proceedings are pending. In the absence of such proceedings, the withholding of pensionary benefits was held to be unlawful. The court further criticised the govt's actions, stating that they amounted to a flagrant violation of her fundamental rights and constituted harassment for having accepted the office of the vice-chancellor at the instance of the former chancellor and governor. She was serving as senior joint director at the technical education department earlier. The high court subsequently quashed the charge memo proceedings, and this decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court. It remarked that such gross injustice to a distinguished govt servant could not be overlooked. It reaffirmed that the right to pension is a property right under the Constitution and cannot be denied except through a procedure established by law. Regarding the issue of interest, the court held that the petitioner can approach the tribunal, which is competent to decide the matter. Thomas is currently serving as the temporary vice-chancellor of the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (Digital University Kerala), in accordance with the chancellor's directive.
