Thiruvananthapuram: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has softened his stance which called for the immediate resignation of the vice-chancellors (VCs) of nine state universities. Khan on Tuesday extended the ultimatum till November 3 and said he was willing to listen to what the VCs had to say, thereby accepting the High Court verdict and allowing them to carry on for now.
With Kerala University vice-chancellor V P Mahadevan Pillai's tenure coming to end on Monday, the VC of KUHS (Kerala University of Health Sciences) Dr K Mohanan has been given the additional responsibility for now.
Eight of the nine VCs on Monday moved the High Court in a bid to get the governor to retract his order that called for their immediate resignation. Khan decided to give precedence to the procedures and went back on his original ultimatum after they moved the court.
The Raj Bhavan said further action would be taken after examining each VC's response in detail. The notice asks for a cogent reason as to why the VCs shouldn't be removed as per the Supreme Court order.
As per the Supreme Court order, the selection process of the VCs that is repugnant to the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, shall be void ab initio (having no legal effect from inception). According to the governor, by asking the VCs to resign, he was only suggesting an honourable exit for them.
The state government and the CPM, however, have directed the VCs against yielding to the governor.
Khan, who is leaving for Delhi today, will only return to the Raj Bhavan after three days.
Crossed many Laxman Rekhas to reach where I am today: R Bindu
Higher Education Miniter R Bindu had a strong reply to the governor's warning not to cross the Laxman Rekha (named after the line Laxmana drew to protect Seeta in the Ramayana) in the VC appointment row.
The minister, talking to the media on Tuesday, said she got to her present position by crossing many Laxman Rekhas. What the governor intended as a signal to stay within her limits, the minister construed as a hurdle that needs to be overcome.
The minister had called the governor's order an attempt to create stagnation in the higher education sector and an indication that the varsities in the state were going to be taken over by fascist forces.
Meanwhile, when asked about the difference of opinion among UDF leaders on the issue, Bindu sarcastically asked: "When have they (UDF) had a unanimous opinion on anything?"
While Opposition leader V D Satheesan welcomed the governor's ultimatum, leaders like P K Kunhalikutty (IUML) opposed the order.
