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Anirudha Karindalam
Anirudha Karindalam

LAW ACADEMY STIR

I am being unfairly targeted, says Lekshmi Nair

lakshmi-nair Lekshmi Nair [Image source: Manoramaonline]

'Of the 1,400 students in the institution, only 200 to 250 students are taking part in the strike,' says Nair.

  • Nair said that it hurt her when people unfairly criticise her cooking show on television and the attire she wears in it.

Celebrity chef and Kerala Law Academy principal Lekshmi Nair said that she was being unfairly targeted for being a woman. The private law college in Thiruvananthapuram, founded in 1967, is witnessing a massive student agitation against the principal over allegations of harassment and favouritism. All major political parties or their student wings have supported the students’ demand for her resignation. 

Said Nair to THE WEEK, ”Most students at the institution support me. Only a few are against me. But the show has been hijacked by political parties." She said of 1,400 students in the institution, only 200 to 250 students were taking part in the strike. "The others are not being allowed to enter the institution by the protesting group. Most parents are concerned. They call me and say that they want their children to concentrate on studies. But I am helpless,” said Nair. 

The Kerala High Court on January 19 had directed the police to grant protection to staff and students of Kerala Law Academy. 

A criminal case has been registered against Nair for allegedly harassing a scheduled caste student by calling him by his caste name. Nair, though, denies it. "I would never do that. That is somebody’s imagination at play. Yes, I have been strict with students and have got angry at them. But I have never abused them. If at all I have got angry with some students, there were reasons for it. There were instances of certain students eloping from the institution, and I had to be strict. Things are being blown out of proportion now,” said Nair. She said she had the support of most of the students. 

Nair said that she had joined the institution 27 years ago and was appointed as principal five years ago. "So many students have passed out from the institution over the years. Nobody has criticised me in this manner."

Nair now wants to keep away from the institution for a few years. “I am fed up. I don't want to talk to the agitators. They are biased and are politically motivated. The people who are spearheading the agitation are not students. They have nothing to do with the institution,” she said.

Nair said that it hurt her when people unfairly criticise her cooking show on television and the attire she wears in it. "Cooking is my passion. My show should not be linked to the present problem. I hope there is an end to all the problems relating to the institution,” she said, “For me, every day, it is like watching a film, with new people coming into the picture from nowhere and abusing me just like that.”

The revenue department has ordered a probe into the utilisation of land by the Kerala Law Academy after allegations of land being utilised for purposes other than education. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, however, has refused to probe the allegations. “Such demands will be always raised. My government doesn’t intend to look into the issue now,” said Vijayan. 

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Topics : #Kerala

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