Calicut University elects member to KAU General Council

Image for representational purposes only.

PA Ahammed Shareef, Assistant Professor, Zoology, PSMO College, Tirurangadi, Malappuram, has been selected as a member representing University of Calicut in the General Council of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).

The election to the post was held at the university senate meeting held at the main campus at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district on Saturday (October 17, 2026). Mr Shareef’s name was proposed by the ruling pro-United Democratic Front. PK Dinesh, Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, CHMKM Government Arts and Science College, Koduvally, Kozhikode, was the candidate of the pro-Left group and AV Hareesh, a school teacher from Malappuram, was nominated by the pro-BJP group. Mr. Shareef got 33 votes, Mr. Dinesh got 21 votes and Mr. Hareesh got five votes.

Meanwhile, VS Nikhil, a pro-Left member, raised the issue of “lack of senate approval” for the recent conferment of honorary doctorates to filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad, industrialist PK Ahammed and scientist ED Jemmis. The pro-Left members also alleged that tendering norms were not followed while awarding the contract for erecting a ‘pandal’ for the event held on October 6, 2026. The meeting was interrupted after they entered the well of the house with posters and shouting slogans. Vice-Chancellor P. Raveendran declared that the entire program had been approved except for two points. The meeting was also dissolved after shouting the slogan.

The meeting approved amendments to the Higher Education Act and statute for the establishment of branch campuses abroad. The amended regulations and syllabus for the Post Graduate Diploma Course in Data Science and Analytics (Batch 2024 and 2025) were also approved. The Departments of Law, Development Studies and Disaster Management would become part of the School of Legal Studies, the School of Social Sciences and the School of Earth Sciences. The audit report for the financial year 2023-24 as well as amendments to the four-year graduate program of Calicut University were approved.

Published – 17 Oct 2026 19:58 IST