Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who is also the state's chancellor of universities, had canceled Priya's selection due to political backlash after the appointment caused a stir.
The Supreme Court observed on Monday that the Kerala High Court's decision to uphold the appointment of Dr. Priya Varghese as associate professor of the Malayalam department at Kannur University is wrong to a certain extent. The top court was considering a petition filed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) against the order of the High Court.
At the same time, the court granted six-week time for Priya Varghese to submit a counter affidavit on filed petitions. Priya Varghese is the wife of K.K. Ragesh, private secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
A division bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice K V Viswanathan considered the special leave petition filed by the UGC. The apex court also issued notices on petitions filed by UGC and Dr. Joseph Skariah, the second-rank holder.
Meanwhile, Priya Varghese's appointment was asked to stay in light of the High Court decision by Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, who was speaking on behalf of the UGC. Priya Varghese's solicitors also disclosed that their party had already started working as an associate professor. The Supreme Court responded by saying that Priya Varghese's appointment would depend on the court's ultimate ruling on the matter.
The Kerala High Court on June 22 dismissed the single bench order in a case pertaining to the appointment of Priya Varghese as a professor at Kannur University. The court accepted Priya's contention that the single bench had erred in assessing eligibility. The division bench, while considering an appeal filed by Priya, revoked the directive ordering to invalidate the rank list of the Malayalam associate professor at the institution.
