His vision has suffered significant damage due to glaucoma and ocular hypertension in recent years, prompting R.S. Sasikumar to undergo laser therapy to address these issues. Despite the procedure, the 75-year-old continues to grapple with challenges when attempting to read or use a phone or laptop for writing.
He now relies on audio transcription tools to generate write ups for his whistleblower collective in the higher education sector, known as the Save University Campaign Committee (SUCC).
While THE WEEK’s interview with Sasikumar was progressing, the septuagenarian received a call, bringing news of the latest triumph in his organisation's ongoing battle against alleged favouritism and nepotism in Kerala’s higher education realm. With pride in his voice, Sasikumar shared, “The Kerala High Court issued a stay on the last appointment made by former Kannur University Vice Chancellor Professor Gopinath Ravindran. Ravindran made this appointment on the same day his reappointment as VC was quashed by the Supreme Court [on a case filed by academicians associated with SUCC]. Please bear with me; I have to release a statement about this case.”
THE WEEK bore witness to the troubles Sasikumar faced with the transcription tool as he rendered audio descriptions in Malayalam and the app frequently produced inaccurate results. However, Sasikumar meticulously ensured the precision of all wording before disseminating it to the media.
Over the past six years, Sasikumar and his organisation have given full support to more than 100 aggrieved academicians in cases alleging favouritism and nepotism within Kerala's higher education institutions. These cases have not only resonated within the realms of Kerala politics and the higher education sector but have also emerged as crucial junctures in the ongoing tussle between the Kerala governor—who holds the position of chancellor in majority of universities in the state—and the Pinarayi Vijayan government. Consequently, this senior citizen, who could have opted for a tranquil retirement life with a service pension for his extensive service in Kerala University, is now seen as a symbol of the fight against malpractices in the higher education domain.
Recently, Sasikumar intensified the challenges for the Pinarayi government by submitting a petition to the Kerala governor, urging him to recommend declaring a financial emergency in the state, citing that the state’s financial position is now deemed "precarious and beyond redemption." This petition stemmed from the revelation made by Kerala's chief secretary to the High Court in November, acknowledging a severe financial crisis within the state government. This disclosure occurred during the hearing of a contempt of court petition filed by retired KSRTC pensioners, who raised concerns about the government's failure to adhere to court directives regarding timely pension disbursement.
While critics allege extravagance as well as financial mismanagement of the Pinarayi government for the financial troubles of the state, the ruling dispensation put the entire blame on the Union government for its troubles. On Sasikumar’s petition, the governor requested a detailed report from the state's chief secretary regarding the current financial condition. As of now, the chief secretary has not yet submitted this report.
As Sasikumar continues to force the state government into a defensive posture with his petitions and legal battles, another senior citizen—86-year-old Mariyakutty—garnered public attention and positioned herself as an unlikely opponent of the ruling front through a distinctive protest involving a begging bowl in Adimali town, Idukki district.
Her unique protest happened when Pinarayi’s controversial public outreach programme, Nava Kerala Sadas, was in progress. The octogenarian, whose formal education extended only up to the 4th standard, initiated a 'begging strike' against the government when it failed to disburse the welfare pension for five consecutive months. Mariyakutty, along with her acquaintance Anna, donned placards around their necks and embarked on a unique form of protest, begging for alms at government offices and the police station.
This unconventional demonstration was born out of Mariyakutty's personal struggles to afford essential items, as she revealed during THE WEEK's visit to her modest house in Irunoorekkar near Adimaly in Kerala's Idukki district.
Mariyakutty subsequently approached the High Court in December to seek a directive for the release of her overdue widow pension payments. However, during the court proceedings, the state government conveyed to the High Court that the prevailing financial conditions in the state posed challenges in fulfilling substantial financial commitments related to social security pension schemes. Furthermore, they asserted that Mariyakutty's petition was politically motivated, and aimed at disparaging the government and Chief Minister Pinarayi. Nevertheless, the High Court inquired whether the government had suspended any “festivities”—referring to the ‘Keraleeyam’ branding event organised by the state government in November—due to the financial crisis.
Under mounting pressure, the state government initiated steps to ensure the distribution of August pension arrears before last Christmas. However, the state finance ministry, grappling with a severe fund shortage, has not yet found a solution to disburse both the outstanding pension arrears and upcoming monthly pensions. The financial strain worsened due to the Union government slashing Kerala's borrowing limit in the last quarter of this fiscal year. State Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal lamented, "We expected Rs 7,000 crore, but the Union government cut our borrowing limit to Rs 1,838 crore. The last quarter, especially March, requires Rs 20,000 crore. This unfriendly action occurs as Kerala seeks more funds. Deductions, including from the treasury, are made despite an empty public account."
Mariyakutty's outspoken criticism of the Vijayan administration and sharp statements have earned her both bouquets and brickbats. Nevertheless, her weathered and aged visage unmistakably became a symbol of the concerns of over 60 lakh social security pensioners in the state.
'Magistrate' on duty
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Kerala and addressed a massive women’s conference in Thrissur organised by the Kerala BJP unit, Mariyakutty was one of the “celebrities” on stage along with figures like actor Shobhana. Wearing the traditional attire of Kerala Christian women, chatta and mundu, she attended the event.
A week before the event, THE WEEK had visited her single-storey house in Adimaly that stands on a five-cent plot. “During heavy rains, this roof leaks. But the chief minister’s party men have no shame in spreading the stories that I am living in a palatial house,” she had said then while showing the old-fashioned house with congested rooms.
Princy Shan, the youngest among the four daughters of Mariyakutty, said that even at this advanced age, her mother remains super active. “She will not sit idle for a moment. She will go visit the neighbourhood and the Irunoorekkar city and will talk to people. Whether it is tending to tasks within our house premises or simply clearing grass from the sidewalks along the public road, she stays occupied and involved,” said the 37-year-old who runs a Kerala Lotteries retail shop.
Mariyakutty, however, pointed out that these walks and visits to the neighbourhood are where she forms political opinions. “I talk to people, and also sit in tea shops and hear people discussing politics. I do not have newspaper subscriptions, every evening I watch news and debates on TV. I do not watch any soap serials,” she added.
Shan emphasised that once her mother makes a decision, she will work for it no matter what. She said: "The placards for her begging bowl protests were created without informing any of us." When THE WEEK inquired with Anna, an 81-year-old who had previously worked with Mariyakutty in bamboo cutting, she also revealed that she was unaware of the placards until Mariyakutty had personally designed and brought them for the protest.
Nevertheless, Shan admires her strong mother. Arguably, Mariyakutty drew strength from her own life experiences. “My parents migrated to high ranges of Idukki from Koothattukulam when I was 12 years old; we cleared the forested areas to build a small house and start farming,” recalled Mariyakutty. “There was no school here, thus ended my formal education in Class IV. We fought many odds including attacks from wildlife animals and abject poverty.”
Mariyakutty got married when she was 23. “It was a registered marriage,” she says. “A man named Chacko from Rajakumari. He was a druggie who would not look after his family. I wanted to see my children get proper education. So, I went to work in Thrissur as an assistant to a homeopathy doctor, and put my children in Christian convents until they completed 10th grade.” Interestingly, Mariyakutty was more or less like a bodyguard also for the doctor. “He was a pedichuthoori (coward) and was fearful of walking alone in the night. So, I used to walk in the front and he would follow,” she chuckled.
Once her children grew up, Mariyakutty came back to the high ranges and started working on construction sites. It was during this period that people started referring to her as 'magistrate' Mariyakutty. According to Shan, a neighbour coined this nickname because Mariyakutty frequently went to court as a witness in various cases. Shan explained, "If my mother witnessed an injustice, she would stand by the victim and testify in court.” Her experience with legal battles motivated her to file a complaint against the CPI(M) mouthpiece for spreading allegedly false stories about her following the begging bowl protests.
Though unaffiliated with any political party, Mariyakutty has historically inclined towards a pro-Congress position. Reflecting on her past, she recalled joining a Congress rally in her school days, earning a scolding from her parents for arriving home late. However, after gaining widespread recognition for her begging bowl protest, Mariyakutty received visits from BJP leaders, including actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who is expected to become BJP candidate in Thrissur in the upcoming general elections. That visit finally culminated in Mariyakutty sharing a stage with Modi also in Thrissur.
For Mariyakutty, this fight is real, and to serve as a constant reminder about it, she keeps her begging bowl and placard as mementos at home.
Legal tussles
Sasikumar is also someone who adheres to the principle of a continuous fight. “In the initial stage [of Save University Campaign Committee], I was eager to get a positive result in every case we bring forth,” said the activist. “But I understood that sometimes the results can be negative also. Now, I am not concerned about the result, but bringing the facts before the public.” Sasikumar, who retired from Kerala University as a joint registrar in 2003, is well-versed in university laws and claims a wide range of sources within the higher education domain. “It was a female student’s suicide attempt, allegedly because of the harassment from CPI(M)-affiliated students’ organisation, SFI, that triggered us to form the SUCC,” said Sasikumar.
"Interestingly, many of the discrepancies our organisation exposed were forwarded to us by academicians and university staff associated with CPI(M)-affiliated unions themselves," he added. He cited the case of the appointment of Priya Varghese, wife of the CM's private secretary and party leader K.K. Ragesh, as an associate professor at Kannur University. The case involving Varghese's appointment, allegedly in violation of UGC teaching experience norms, is currently under Supreme Court review.
Sasikumar revealed that on the day Varghese appeared in front of the interview board, leftist academicians informed him that she had been given the first rank. He added that since 2016, CPI(M)-affiliated staff or teachers' organisations have controlled the primary files in Kerala universities.
Joining the Kerala University in 1968, Sasikumar was at the forefront of organising a pro-Congress employees’ organisation at the university. Though Sasikumar is technically a Congress member, he stresses on SUCC's non-political affiliation. Post-retirement, he served as a syndicate member at CUSAT and Kerala University. In the late 2000s, he initiated the Higher Education Protection Council, exposing irregularities in 2008 Kerala University Assistant Grade-II appointments. Almost a decade later, SUCC emerged from the Higher Education Protection Council.
In a significant legal battle, Sasikumar faced a setback in November last year when the Kerala Lokayukta dismissed his petition against CM Pinarayi and 18 former ministers for alleged misuse of the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). "In 2017, we submitted a complaint to the chief minister seeking financial aid for three impoverished college students for their education. However, the response stated that CMDRF is intended only for disaster-related issues, not educational matters,” he said.
Despite this, he later learned that CMDRF funds were allocated to the families of two deceased political leaders and the family of a civil police officer killed in an accident involving former CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. Sasikumar approached the Lokayukta, prompting the ruling front to amend the Lokayukta rules (although the amendment did not receive the governor's approval and was sent to the President).
Following the loss in the CMDRF case, CPI(M) cadres erected a flex board at the entrance of Sasikumar's lane, mocking him. But Sasikumar is undeterred and not ready to hang his activist boots any time soon, and has taken up the case to the High Court. Incidentally on January 8, a division bench of the High Court ordered to send notice to the chief minister, Lokayukta as well as former ministers.
