Kerala HC rejects plea questioning Kannur VC appointment

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea questioning the appointment of Dr Gopinath Ravindran as Vice Chancellor of Kannur University.

In the plea, Kannur University senate member Dr Premachandran Keezhoth and Academic Council member Dr Shino Jose had requested the court to declare invalid the Kannur VC's appointment citing his lack of qualification.

According to the petitioners, the reappointnment of Professor Ravindran as VC despite crossing the age of 60 violated UGC norms.

His first term was from November 2017 to November 22, 2021.

HC order a fillip to govt: Bindu

Kerala's Higher Education Minister R Bindu on Wednesday said she did not have to explain to the media the norms based on which she wrote letters to the governor recommending to reappoint Dr Gopinath Raveendran the vice chancellor of Kannur University.

The minister was reacting to a Kerala High Court order which upheld the reappointment of Raveendran. She said she did not have to explain why did she ask the governor, who is also the chancellor of the university, to dissolve a search committee which was assigned to find a new VC.

"The high court has not find any fault in the appointment. The court will give a fillip to the government's steps which improve quality of higher education. It will also help the VC continue with his academic excellence," she said.

She said it was not proper to discuss with media the communication between the government and the governor as well as between the chancellor and pro vice chancellor. It is a diplomatic relationship and the dignity of it has to be kept, she said.

In a letter, Bindhu, who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the university, had requested the Chancellor to cancel the notification appointing a search-cum-selection committee for identifying the person to be appointed as Vice-Chancellor.

The Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had written a letter to the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on December 8 as he was upset with the way the affairs of the universities were conducted by the state's CPI(M)-led government undermining his authority as Chancellor of the top academic institutions.

The Governor expressed displeasure over the recent re-appointment of Prof Gopinath Ravindran as Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University for another four years and the State Assembly passing of an amendment to the University Act, which according to sources, have taken away the power of the Chancellor to appoint the University Appellate Tribunal.

The Governor has also resented the deletion of a clause authorising the Chancellor to consult the High Court in the appointment of the tribunal.