Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has issued an ultimatum to eight State universities to nominate representatives to search-cum-selection committees meant to appoint new Vice-Chancellors within a month.
The tersely-worded letters issued by Raj Bhavan also caution the universities against non-compliance that will result in the former proceeding with the selection process on its own in accordance with a Supreme Court judgment that quashed the reappointment of former Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran, sources say.
The directive has been issued to Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi, and Kannur universities, Cochin University of Science and Technology, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU), Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, and Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University.
Kerala University and the KTU are both being helmed by temporary Vice-Chancellors since October 2022.
While the Senates in Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi, Kannur, and Kerala Agricultural universities are mandated with nominating members to V-C selection committees, the syndicates in the other universities take the call in this regard.
Hearings
Raj Bhavan has also decided to hold the hearings of the Vice Chancellors of Calicut University, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Digital University Kerala, and Sree Narayana Guru Open University on February 24 to determine the legality of their appointments.
The Kerala High Court had a week ago ordered the Governor to take a final call on the show cause notices issued to them within six weeks after hearing them.
The notices, issued by Raj Bhavan soon after the annulment of former KTU Vice-Chancellor M.S. Rajasree’s appointment, had sparked a virtual collapse of the relations between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and the Governor. The growing likelihood of the dismissal of the four Vice-Chancellors is expected to further widen the rift.
Meanwhile, Kerala University is set to convene a Senate meeting to discuss the proposal to nominate a member to the V-C search committee on February 16.
With the attendance of the newly-nominated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-backed members necessary to meet the required quorum, it remains to be seen if the university witnesses protests similar to that at Calicut University when the members nominated by the Governor were prevented by Students Federation of India activists.
