Moreover, Kunnummal’s failure to issue a notice and his delayed action taken a week after the event belies any claim of urgency. This was not governance but an arbitrary exercise of power. The Syndicate, vested with authority under the Kerala University Act of 1974, promptly rectified this action.

“Chapter VI, Statute 23(10), empowers the Syndicate to discipline university employees, including through suspension, after ensuring due process. The Kerala University First Statutes of 1977, Chapter 2, Statute 22, designate the Syndicate as the Registrar’s appointing authority, granting it the prerogative to address serious irregularities through proper inquiry. By quashing Kunnummal’s unauthorised suspension, the Syndicate acted squarely within its legal mandate, reinforcing democratic governance,” Lenin Lal said.

According to pro-Left Syndicate members, Dr. Gurukkal’s claim that Syndicate decisions lack validity without the Vice-Chancellor presiding is a legal fallacy.

Chapter 6, Statute 1(2), permits Syndicate members to elect a presiding officer in the absence of the Vice-Chancellor or Pro-Vice-Chancellor, they argued. On July 20, Gurukkal had stirred a hornet’s nest by stating that in any university, the Syndicate is its executive body, chaired by the Vice Chancellor.

“Without the VC, the Syndicate has no legal or functional existence. However, many mistakenly see the Syndicate and the Vice Chancellor as separate entities. This statutory ignorance is the root-cause of the crisis of the Kerala University,” Gurukkal had said.