Chintha Jerome’s dissertation research by Kerala University
The Kerala University Syndicate on Tuesday decided to appoint a four-member sub-committee to conduct a preliminary probe into alleged irregularities in the dissertation submitted by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) state president Chintha Jerome.
The decision is based on a complaint submitted by Syndicate member RS Sasikumar to in-charge Vice-Chancellor (VC) Mohanan Kunnummal, who pointed out that no further action was taken by the university despite the Governor forwarding a complaint regarding alleged widespread errors in the PhD thesis of Dr. Jerome.
Mr. Sasikumar, who also chairs the Save University Campaign Committee, requested the then Governor Arif Mohammed Khan three years ago, after which the Lok Bhavan asked the university for a report.
Title suspension
In his statement to the VC, the syndicate member demanded the suspension of the PhD degree if the preliminary investigation finds irregularities. Subsequently, the expert committee should conduct a detailed investigation.
The PhD degree was awarded to Dr. Jerome for his work on “Ideological Underpinnings in Selected Malayalam Commercial Films of the Post-Liberation Era”. The complaint alleged that parts of the work were plagiarized from other publications. Moreover, the evaluation process raised suspicions as the thesis, which dealt with Malayalam cinema and its prominent actors, was sent for evaluation to three professors from Tamil Nadu and North India who are known for their knowledge in other languages.
Copy detected
The syndicate also decided to suspend the examination center at the Thiruvananthapuram Law College after widespread copying was detected through CCTV footage. The Controller of Examinations has been tasked with making alternative arrangements for college students to write their subsequent examinations.
The syndicate has decided to issue a notification for the appointment of deputations for the posts of registrar and controller of examinations.
It also decided to appoint Vena Mohan as Ayyankali Chair, AM Unnikrishnan as Chattambi Swami Center Director, Tajudeen as Nehru Center Director and Lakshmi Sukumar as Women’s Studies Center Director. Sreekala will be appointed as the Director of the Ganapati Sastri Chair.
Meanwhile, members of the Left Syndicate staged a strike to protest the alleged withholding of Sanskrit scholar Vipin Vijayan’s PhD. They accused the university of adopting a discriminatory approach to the Dalit researcher for more than six months.
Published – 15 Sep 2026 20:52 IST