Nalini Netto to find ombudsman for APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University

Thiruvananthapuram: The Governor has nominated Chief Secretary Nalini Netto to the search committee to find an ombudsman for APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. The delay in the appointment of the ombudsman had come in for criticism from various quarters. The search committee will identify an ombudsman who would be a judicial officer not below the rank of the district judge. The plan for an ombudsman was announced by the APJ university on January 17 in the wake of the suicide of engineering student Jishnu Pranoy of Nehru Engineering College, Pambadi, Palakkad, alleging harassment by the management.

The state government has already nominated higher education principal secretary B. Sreenivas as its nominee. The students can directly give their complaints to the ombudsman who would examine them and find solutions. The government had unduly delayed the file on the Governor’s nominee even when the decision on setting up of the ombudsman was taken by the governing council of the university in January itself. The Governor cleared the file within a short time after receiving it by March-end.