Thiruvananthapuram: The University Appellate Tribunal here on Wednesday posted for October 29 hearing on the petition filed by lecturer T J Joseph challenging his dismissal from service by the Catholic church-run Newman College for setting a question paper, which hurt the sentiments of Muslims.
Joseph, whose hand was chopped off by suspected activists of radical outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), has sought a stay on the management's action maintaining that it amounted to denial of natural justice.
At the petition's admission stage itself, counsel for Joseph sought an early hearing of the case. But the college management had already filed a caveat in the Tribunal pleading that they should be heard before arriving at any decision.
In his plea, Joseph held that he had been denied natural justice as the action was taken without hearing his side. He also denied the charge that he had set the question paper with malafide intention to hurt the sentiments of a particular community.
Joseph, who was teaching Malayalam literature in the college, was first suspended from service after a question paper set by him for an internal examination sparked off strong protests from Muslim outfits, which alleged it contained derogatory references to Prophet Muhammad.
The controversy took an ugly turn in July last with suspected PFI activists chopping off his right hand.
College authorities later sacked him on the ground that the question paper set by him created communal ill will and it ran against the tradition and principles upheld by the college.
Even as the Syndicate of the Kottayam-based Mahatma Gandhi University, to which the college was affiliated, directed the management to reinstate Joseph, the management refused to budge from its stand.
The church also issued a circular justifying the action taken against the lecturer.
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