Kannur (Keralam) | A court here on Thursday sentenced a Kannur University assistant professor to a total of six years imprisonment and imposed a fine for committing financial irregularities by allegedly creating fake documents to show the appointment of a professional assistant.

The Kannur Vigilance Court Judge K Ramakrishnan found Dr N K Deepak (54), assistant professor at Swami Anandatheertha Campus, Payyanur, and a native of Chirakkal in Kannur, guilty under various sections and sentenced him to a total of six years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 80,000, officials said.

According to the prosecution, in 2008, the Kannur University registrar issued an order to appoint a professional assistant on a daily-wage basis in the Physics Department at Swami Anandatheertha Campus.

Deepak, who was in charge of the Physics Department, was entrusted with selecting the professional assistant, officials said.

He allegedly obtained a copy of the qualification certificate of a friend of another professional assistant at the campus, added a fake address and prepared a forged qualification certificate.

He then allegedly misled university authorities into believing that a professional assistant had been appointed and misappropriated university funds by showing that the amount was paid as salary to the purported employee.

The Vigilance Kannur Unit registered a case against Deepak and, after completing the investigation, filed a chargesheet before the Kannur Vigilance Court.

Vigilance Public Prosecutor Anoop K B appeared for the prosecution.

Former Vigilance Kannur Unit DySP V Madhusoodanan and the present unit head DySP Babu Peringeth conducted the investigation.