SUCC petitions Governor against M. Swaraj’s wife

The Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC) has petitioned Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar seeking an inquiry into the alleged anomalies surrounding the conferment of PhD degree by Kannur University on Saritha Menon, wife of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader M. Swaraj.

In the complaint, SUCC chairman R.S. Sasikumar and convener M. Shajarkhan flagged purported irregularities in the university’s decision to relax norms by granting her a mercy chance to enable her to submit her thesis, around 16 years after registering at S.N. College, Kannur.

The mercy chance, SUCC alleged, was selectively given to benefit a politically connected individual. They urged the Governor to review the legality of the mercy chance and its implementation in doctoral research, and audit all PhD degrees awarded by Kannur University in the past 10 years to detect “similar patterns of irregularity.”

Published - June 15, 2025 08:57 pm IST