After almost a month of relentless protests by students of the Kerala Law Academy in Thiruvananthapuram, the college is all set to get a new Principal. Jubilant students have greeted the much awaited news with absolute glee, thereby bringing down the curtains on an agitation that spanned 29 long days.
The decision was taken in a meeting convened by state Education Minister C Raveendranath and state Agriculture Minister VS Sunil Kumar on Wednesday with the protesters and representatives of the college Management.
All student unions including KSU, ABVP and MSF have reportedly agreed to withdraw from the agitation, after the Ministers assured them that the Academy would soon get a new Principal.
Allegations of favouritism, caste discrimination, corruption and misconduct had marred Dr. Lekshmi Nair's tenure as Principal, following which students had launched a unanimous protest, demanding nothing less than her resignation.
Only the Students Federation of India (SFI -the CPI(M) student wing) had withdrawn from the protest last week, stating that all their demands had been met. But all other unions continued with the agitation.
The state government has promised the students that it would intervene, if any attempt was made by the Management to replace the newly appointed Principal.
The new Principal would be appointed, without a specific contract period in place. The Education Minister termed the students’ agitation as a justified one.
"Smt. Lakshmi Nair has been removed from the post of the Principal of Kerala Law Academy-Law College, as per the decision taken by the Governing Council. A new Principal will soon be appointed, after ensuring he/she meets the requisite eligibility criteria.
If the Management seeks to deviate from the assurances given, the state government will interfere in the same," reads the written document signed by representatives of the state government, students and the Management.
Ahead of the meeting, Lekshmi’s father and Academy director Narayanan Nair had sent out a notification seeking applications to the post of the Principal. The Academy will re-open on Monday.