THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Assembly panel chaired by V D Satheesan which probed the alleged illegal appointment and promotion of V A Arun Kumar, son of Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan, to the posts of IHRD Assistant Director and ICT Additional Director has found that there was enough ground to establish the charges. However, four LDF MLAs of the nine-member panel have recorded their dissent to the findings that the appointments were irregular. The panel, which held its last meeting here on Friday, also came to the conclusion that the charges of financial fraud levelled against Arun Kumar could not be substantiated. It has now become certain that the final report will have the dissenting note of P K Gurudasan, S Sarma, Mullakkara Ratnakaran and C K Nanu, former Ministers and LDF nominees in the panel. The panel report is supposed to be submitted to Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan on March 8. Arun Kumar was appointed as the assistant director of the IHRD during the tenure of the Nayanar Government. Before the one-year probation period, he was appointed as the managing director of Coirfed.After two years, he was appointed as the principal of the IHRD College at Kattappana, based on his claim that he had a seven-year teaching experience when the post was reserved for those working in the IHRD. On the same day of appointment as the principal, he was also given the charge of joint director. After three years, Arun Kumar was given permanent charge, again overriding the applications of IHRD College principals. Later, he became director of the Finishing School of the IT Department, a portfolio under the then Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan. The capping charge against Arunkumar was that he also made his way to the seat of additional director of IHRD, which was a created one. When two senior principals of IHRD colleges contested it, they were also accommodated by creating two more posts of additional directors.While the case is focused on the fact that existing rules were flouted during the LDF Government’s rule, allegedly at the instance of the then Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, the role of former Education Minister M A Baby is also under the scanner. Though Arun Kumar had made a last minute appeal before the panel to provide copies of statements of those who had deposed against him for scrutiny, it was turned down.
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