Thiruvananthapuram: Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit vice-chancellor in-charge Ciza Thomas has ordered disciplinary action against the former publication officer, who was also the project director, in connection with the recent bid to publish dummy books as the biography of Chattambi Swamikal.
The VC ordered serving a charge memo to the former publication officer Lizy Mathew. The same official was also holding the charge of examination controller when the university took a controversial decision to issue a BFA pass certificate to an SFI activist who had failed the course and was admitted to MFA programme.
The university had to cancel the release of Chattambi Swamikal's biography after the VC found out that several books in the 11-volume work were filled with blank papers. The governor was supposed to release the book at Panmana Ashramam in Kollam on April 26. The book was printed at a private press in Aluva, which also delivered seven dummy copies along with the four volumes for the release.
The charge sheet states that Mathew committed serious lapses by assigning the printing job to a private press without the university's approval or quotations, not preparing contract documents with the press, determining the book's price on her own and failing to officially inform the university about the release ceremony attended by the governor. Although Mathew was removed from the responsibility of the publication department on March 1 and the responsibility was given to public relations officer, she retained the responsibility for the release of the biography as project director.
The charge sheet also mentions that Mathew showed dereliction of duty by ensuring the failed BFA student passed the exam against university regulations after granting them admission to the MFA programme.
