Thiruvananthapuram: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has taken a non-confrontational approach with the Kerala Government on the appointment of temporary Vice-Chancellors in universities. In the latest development, Khan has appointed government-nominee Dr P G Sankaran as the VC in-charge of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) without raising any objection.
Though it is not mandated to have the Government’s recommendation for appointing the VC in-Charge, the Governor approached the Government for the same. The tenure of Arif Mohammad Khan ends in September 2024. He is expected to continue giving the charge of VCs to persons preferred by the Government till then.
In the wake of the retirement of the VC of CUSAT, Raj Bhavan collected details of senior professors in all varsities and formed a panel to give the temporary charge. However, the Governor did not agree with giving the charge without the recommendation of the Government. Though the VC and pro-VC sought an appointment with the Governor before the expiry of their tenure, the Governor didn’t allow the same. The CUSAT VC is among the VCs to whom the Governor had served the termination notice following a Supreme Court verdict.
Dr Sankaran is the professor and Head of the Department of Statistics at CUSAT.
Why Khan had to relent
The Government had initiated disciplinary proceedings against Dr Ciza Thomas, who was given the charge of the VC at the Kerala Technological University (KTU) by the Governor ignoring the Government. It is learnt that this move has came as a setback to the Governor. He became helpless in this situation. It was in this context that he sought the opinion of the Government in the case of CUSAT.
The tenure of Mahatma Gandhi University VC will end next month. He is also holding charge of Malayalam University VC. The Governor has decided to seek the opinion of the Government on giving the temporary charge of these VCs.
Interim Principals and VCs
The Governor has not signed the Bill passed by the Assembly, which amends the structure of the search committee for appointing VCs favoured by the Government.
The CPM-led Government has asked the universities not to propose their nominee for setting up the search committee in the current form. Hence, the Governor will not be able to form the search committees.
In all Government colleges in the state, instead of appointing permanent principals, in-charges have been installed. In the same pattern, the universities too are expected to have interim VCs.
The University of Kerala, KTU, Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kerala Kalamandalam, National University of Advanced Legal Studies, and Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University are currently functioning without permanent VCs.
Meanwhile, the Quo Warranto petitions against the VCs of Kannur, Calicut, and Sanskrit universities are pending before the court. The court has stayed the termination notice served by the Governor to these VCs as well as to those of the Sree Narayanaguru Open University and Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology which is often referred to as the Digital University.
