Kerala High Court stays VC’s order to refund ₹2.81 lakh over cockroach poster

The Story in Brief

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed a directive by Mahatma Gandhi University's Vice-Chancellor D. Mavoothu ordering the students' union to refund ₹2.81 lakh granted for a national conference. The university objected to the union's publicity posters featuring a cockroach standing defiantly before a boot, which it said carried political overtones in violation of its code of conduct. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas termed the August 1 order to recover the advance 'arbitrary' and sought responses from the university and its officials.

The students' union had received ₹2.81 lakh as 75% advance of the sanctioned ₹3.75 lakh for the four-day conference titled 'Discourses beyond boundaries: Sustainable future in an age of conflict' held from August 3 to 6. The union argued the cockroach symbolised resistance and was not linked to any political party. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on October 9, 2026.