BLANTYRE: The University council has brought to life the seemingly dead issue of the academic freedom fight.
 
They have engaged a prominent lawyer Kalekeni Kaphale  to demand some K55 million from Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula, who was acting president of the Chancellor College academic staff union, and the Attorney General.

The council says the K55 million is to compensate a group of  non-residential students who sued the council for losing money  when they were recalled to the college at the time the lecturers were not teaching due to the academic freedom saga.
 
The action, according to court documents filed at the Zomba high court, is by the students against the council and the council wants Kapasula and the AG to contribute to these claims.
 
The council  says the decision for the lecturers not to teach was not "legally sanctioned" by the labour laws. It added that the witholding of labour by the academic staff union  did not follow statutory procedures  under the Labour Relations Act.

Kapasula, who reached celebrity status over her fights with the late president Bingu wa Mutharika and the University, and the AG, have been given 14 days  to put up their fight in court.
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