New Delhi: Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the re-appointment of Dr Gopinath Raveendran as the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University.
A three-judge bench of the Top Court, headed by CJI DY Chandrachud, and also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, pronounced the verdict.
The Apex Court pronounced the verdict after it reviewed petitions challenging Gopinath Ravindran’s re-appointment as VC.
Premachandran Keezhoth, member of the Kannur University senate, and Shino P Jose, member of the Academic Council had knocked the doors of the SC against the re-appointment process.
While setting aside the Kerala High Court's order of upholding the re-appointment of Gopinath Raveendran as Vice Chancellor of Kannur University, the Top Court noted in its judgement that the appointment was vitiated by the undue interference from the Government of Kerala.
The Apex court said that the decision stood vitiated by the unwarranted interference by State Government.
"Although the notification for reappointment was issued by the Chancellor, the decision stood vitiated by the unwarranted interference by State Government", the Court said in its verdict.
The bench allowed the appeal challenging the February 2022 judgment delivered by a division bench of the Kerala High Court approving the re-appointment of the VC and affirming the December 2021 single bench judgment.
The Apex Court said that the Chancellor (Kerala Governor) "abdicated or surrendered" the statutory powers for re-appointing the Vice Chancellor. (with Agency inputs)
