Pressure mounts on Kerala college to reinstate teacher

THRISSUR - The Kerala government Friday said it is waiting to see what steps the college management that dismissed teacher T.J.Joseph — whose right palm was chopped off by radical Muslim activists — takes to correct the “wrong move” before it intervenes.

Speaking to reporters here, Education Minister M.A.Baby said the action of the Thodupuzha New Man College management is like handing out a death sentence to someone held guilty of a petty crime.

“The Mahatma Gandhi University syndicate decision (terming Joseph’s dismissal against norms) is right because the management did not take sanction from the university ahead of dismissing Joseph. We will give them (the college management) some more time for them to have a re-look into their arbitrary act. If they do not act, then the government will come out with its decision,” said Baby.

The college management suspended Joseph from service after the controversy broke out.

Joseph’s right palm was chopped off in July by activists of Popular Front of India (PFI), outraged at the inflammatory reference to Prophet Mohammed in a question paper he prepared for second year B.Com students in an internal examination of his college.

While Joseph was convalescing at his home near Muvattupuzha, after a more than a month’s stay at a hospital in Kochi where his severed palm was stitched back, the college last week sent him a letter of dismissal on “disciplinary grounds”.

The decision irked the Kerala society at large. A protest was held at his college by the students of the college and the teachers organisations condemned the act of the management.

Reacting to the turn of the events, the management Friday said that it was waiting for a letter from the government and once that comes, it would decide what needs to be done.

Meanwhile, the Kothamangalam diocese of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church which runs the Thodupuzha New Man College has come with a circular to its faithful, defending the dismissal of Joseph.

The circular, issued by head of the diocese Bishop George Punakottil, said that the decision to sack Joseph came after detailed inquiry.

The circular said that it has come to light that Joseph purposely made the question paper, and carried important parts of the show cause notice issued to him and his reply.

Joseph said that if the management does not reconsider its decision, his only option would be to approach the courts for justice.