A Kerala University professor was booked under the SC/ST Act for allegedly making casteist remarks against a PhD scholar, impacting the institution's reputation.

C.N. Vijayakumari, the Head of the Sanskrit department at Kerala University, has been booked by police under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. This follows a complaint from Vipin Vijayan, a PhD scholar, who alleges that she made casteist remarks and refused to sign his thesis after his defense. The complaints date back to 2015, when Vijayan began his MPhil under her supervision. He claims her actions were influenced by her political affiliations, contrasting his left-wing views with her ties to the RSS-BJP ideology. In response to the allegations, Kerala's Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has ordered an inquiry, emphasizing the need for strict legal action against any wrongdoing. The incident raises significant concerns about caste discrimination within higher education institutions.