Former Kannur University Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Gopinath Raveendran has refunded ₹4 lakh to the varsity after an audit report revealed that he had used the institution’s funds to file a legal case challenging the cancellation of his appointment.

The 2022-23 audit report flagged procedural violations in allocating funds, saying that the money was used without proper authorisation. The amount had been spent on a case filed in the Kerala High Court against the cancellation of Mr. Raveendran’s appointment, which followed a Supreme Court ruling on October 21, 2022. The apex court had quashed the appointment on the grounds that only one name was recommended for the V-C’s post, instead of a panel, as mandated.

The audit report criticised the varsity Syndicate’s move to allocate funds for personal legal cases, calling it irregular. At the time, the Syndicate’s decision had triggered a controversy for what was widely seen as an unusual and unjustified action.

Following the Supreme Court’s verdict, the Kerala government cancelled Mr. Raveendran’s appointment. He then filed a case in the High Court against the decision, listing the Chancellor as the first respondent, the State government as the second, and Kannur University as the third. The case, and the use of university funds to support it, attracted scrutiny from within academic and administrative circles. Following the audit findings, Dr. Raveendran returned the entire ₹4 lakh to the varsity, effectively acknowledging financial irregularity.

Vice-Chancellor K.K. Saju said that soon after he had taken charge, he had taken up the matter with Mr. Raveendran. He immediately agreed to return the amount, and it was returned in December 2024. But, the matter came up during the recently concluded annual Senate meeting, when the audit report was tabled before the Senate. However, the Kannur University UDF Senators Forum claimed that the varsity’s stance suggesting full reimbursement was misleading.

Senators Forum convener Dr. Shino P. Jose said that according to Higher Education Minister R. Bindu’s statement in the Assembly in June 2024, the combined legal expenses in the case amounted to ₹68 lakh–₹30 lakh from the varsity and ₹38 lakh from the State government.

He alleged that the varsity was attempting to create a false impression by focusing only on ₹4 lakh refunded by the former V-C. “This narrative ignores the total public expenditure incurred in a personal legal matter,” Dr. Jose said.

He added that Mr. Raveendran’s argument in court was limited to the High Court proceedings, but the legal process had spanned both the High Court and the Supreme Court, significantly increasing the cost.

Mr. Jose warned that unless the full amount spent by the university and the government was reimbursed, legal action would follow.