Calicut varsity to probe charges related to answer script storage project

The University of Calicut | Photo Credit: File photo P. Raveendran, Vice-Chancellor, University of Calicut, has ordered an inquiry into the allegations related to financial irregularities, lapses in fund utilisation, and procedural failures surrounding the implementation of an automated storage and retrieval system, an answer-script storage project launched in 2021 under the Centre for Examination Automation and Management.The Finance Officer has been asked to conduct a detailed investigation. Instrumentation Engineer T. Sajid and Section Officer of the Student Welfare Department, K. Suresh Kumar, will assist the officer.University sources said on Sunday (November 1) that the project was launched to securely store evaluated answer scripts and ensure that they could be retrieved quickly whenever needed. However, allegations of irregularities in its implementation and related financial transactions had surfaced right from the beginning. P. Rasheed Ahmed, the current pro Vice-Chancellor, who was a Syndicate member then, had filed a petition in the Kerala High Court naming the then Vice-Chancellor M.K. Jayaraj as a respondent.The investigation is based on a complaint submitted by C.P. Muhammed Jaseel on September 28, 2026, and a directive issued by Mr. Raveendran on October 26, 2026. The complainant pointed out that the total project cost had exceeded ₹25 crore. Despite spending over ₹10 crore initially on racks and related infrastructure for storing answer scripts, it had not become fully operational. The complaint also said that the funds for the purpose were sanctioned by overriding the objections raised by the Finance Officer.Mr. Jaseel claimed that the system had also failed to achieve the expected efficiency in conducting examinations and declaring results. Furthermore, the staff were still compelled to rely on manual processes for handling and retrieving answer scripts.The university officials said that the investigation would cover tender procedures related to the project, recommendations from the technical committee, contracts, expenditures, financial transactions, completion certificates, the installation of equipment, and the actual operational performance of the system. Published - November 01, 2026 08:06 pm IST