Kannur University professor gets 6 years in jail for fake appointment

A court in Kerala on Thursday sentenced a Kannur University assistant professor to a total of six years imprisonment and imposed a fine for committing financial irregularities by allegedly creating fake documents to show the appointment of a professional assistant.

The Kannur Vigilance Court Judge K Ramakrishnan found Dr N K Deepak (54), assistant professor at Swami Anandatheertha Campus, Payyanur, and a native of Chirakkal in Kannur, guilty under various sections and sentenced him to a total of six years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹80,000, officials said.

According to the prosecution, in 2008, the Kannur University registrar issued an order to appoint a professional assistant on a daily-wage basis in the Physics Department at Swami Anandatheertha Campus.

Deepak, who was in charge of the Physics Department, was entrusted with selecting the professional assistant, officials said.

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He allegedly obtained a copy of the qualification certificate of a friend of another professional assistant at the campus, added a fake address and prepared a forged qualification certificate.

He then allegedly misled university authorities into believing that a professional assistant had been appointed and misappropriated university funds by showing that the amount was paid as salary to the purported employee.

The Vigilance Kannur Unit registered a case against Deepak and, after completing the investigation, filed a chargesheet before the Kannur Vigilance Court.

Vigilance Public Prosecutor Anoop K B appeared for the prosecution.

Former Vigilance Kannur Unit DySP V Madhusoodanan and the present unit head DySP Babu Peringeth conducted the investigation.