Challenge To Assignment Of Kerala University Land To AKG Centre Must Be Heard As PIL: Kerala High Court

A former employee of the Kerala University moved the High Court on Tuesday (January 7) challenging the assignment of the University's land to AKG Centre for Research and Studies.The plea before the Court was preferred by the former Joint Registrar of the University, and who later on become a member of the syndicate of Kerala University and the Cochin University of Science and Technology.According to him, the erstwhile Maharaja of Travancore had, in 1944, vested certain properties in the University under the condition that the government may take it back or portions of it at any time for a public purpose.Later, in 1977, 15 cents out of this land was claimed to have been assigned in favour of the AKG Centre by a government order but the same cannot be traced out by the Village Officer, District Collector or the Department of Archeology.“the name AKG Memorial Research Centre was only a camouflage whereas, the extent of property was assigned for the purpose of constructing the building to be used as the official office of CPI(M), a recognized political party, which wielded power in the State of Kerala many times. The nature of research allegedly undertaken by utilizing the construction made therein is not discernable from any public record including University publications. It is not known whether any private secret research is undertaken utilizing the construction undertaken in the said area,” states the plea.The plea further alleges that the 2003 book 'History of the University of Kerala', written by historian Padma Bhushan A. Sreedhara Menon, which includes a list of recognized research centres/institutions of the University makes no mention of the AKG Centre.It is also mentioned that though only 15 cents is stated to have been assigned by the government order, the AKG Centre and CPI(M) are in possession of more than 55 cents of land, including the University property and government puramboke.The plea called it a 'daylight robbery' by the political party:“by using the political might, around 40 cents of land has been forcefully and illegally possessed and that the constructions have been effected for using the same as a political party office, in deviation of the purpose for which the land has been assigned originally... There is no right or authority for anyone including the political party to own or possess the land otherwise belong to the University. The steps taken in this regard, can only be described as daylight robbery of the public property and that too by a political party, in the name of a revered personality and that will not legitimate an illegality.”Though the petitioner preferred representations before various authorities, no clear answer was received. The plea thus prayed for a direction to the government to produce a copy of the government which is stated to assigned the land to the AKG centre and to quash the same.A direction is also sought to the to evict and recover the property occupied by the AKG Centre and the CPI(M) among other prayers.Yesterday, when the matter came for admission, Justice C. Jayachandran noted that the plea cannot be maintained except as a public interest litigation since the petitioner was only an ex-employee of the University and do not have any private interest in the matter.“A retired employee of a University cannot have any private interest, recognisable in law, insofar as assignment of the property of the University is concerned; and his concern, if any, can only partake the character of public interest. The fact that the petitioner is drawing pension from the University, for that matter from the Government, will not make the petitioner an interested party, so as to oust the maintainability of a P.I.L. Petitioner's affidavit, itself, indicates that the present litigation is public in nature and not to vindicate any private grievance of the petitioner,” recorded the Court and directed the Registry to place the matter before the Bench concerned.The petition is moved by Senior Advocate George Poonthottam and, Advocates Nisha George and Akshara Raju.Case No: W.P.(C). No.54 of 2026Case Title: R.S. Sasikumar v. State of Kerala and Ors.Click to Read/Download Interim Order

Challenge To Assignment Of Kerala University Land To AKG Centre Must Be Heard As PIL: Kerala High Court

K. Salma Jennath

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