THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 19 May 2007 — The research committee of Kerala University headed by its vice chancellor has decided to cancel the admission of V.A. Arun Kumar, son of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, to a doctorate program following allegations that Kumar had reportedly secured admission for his Ph.D. in bioinformatics in violation of the university norms.
His admission was cleared by the university syndicate on Sept. 26 last year. As per the university norms, a candidate securing admission for Ph.D. should have either cleared an entrance test or passed the National Eligibility Test. An exception is granted only to those having an M. Phil degree or seven years of teaching experience. Kumar is said to have been admitted to the course on the merit of his experience as an official in the Institute of Human Resources Development after its director issued a certificate.
