A petition before the Kerala High Court has challenged the month-long strike by employees of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), alleging that protesting staff continued to receive full salaries despite not performing their regular duties and that students were being denied essential university services.
The petition was filed by Kurian Biju, a university syndicate member representing students, against the indefinite strike being held on the CUSAT campus at Kalamassery. The strike by the Cochin University Employees Association began on October 10 and continued for more than a month, according to the petition reported by Times of India.
The dispute follows the suspension of four senior association members over alleged misappropriation and malpractice linked to the recruitment of a sweeper-cum-cleaner. The allegations form the background to the employees’ protest, while the petition seeks directions on how the strike period should be treated under service rules.
Biju alleged that employees participating in the strike sign the attendance register every morning before leaving their seats and taking out a protest march through the verandas on all three floors of the administrative block. They then gather at a protest pandal in front of the building and remain there for the rest of the working day, the petition stated.
The petitioner further alleged that students visiting the university for certificates and other services were being turned away without assistance. According to the plea, this caused students to lose valuable opportunities while the protesting employees were marked present and continued to draw their full salaries without performing their regular work.
The petition has asked the court to direct the university to treat the period of abstention from duty as dies non under Rule 14A of Part I of the Kerala Service Rules. In service administration, the requested treatment would mean that the period is not counted as duty for specified service benefits. The petitioner has also sought withholding of salary and allowances for the period and recovery of any amounts already paid.
In addition, the plea seeks a direction prohibiting protest marches, demonstrations or gatherings inside the administrative block, including its verandas on all floors, during working hours. That request directly concerns the functioning of the university’s administrative offices and access to student-facing services during the strike.
The petition does not itself establish the allegations against the employees or determine whether salary should be withheld. Those matters will have to be considered in the proceedings. The Kerala High Court is scheduled to consider the petition on Thursday, when the court may take up the requests relating to the strike, attendance, salary payments and protests inside the administrative block.
