Thrissur: The Supreme Court’s judgment cancelling the re-appointment of the Kannur Vice Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran upheld the objections raised by the UDF, said Opposition Leader VD Satheesan.
“The judgment also made a serious finding that there was undue interference on the part of the state government in the illegal VC appointment. In this situation, the Minister of Higher Education Dr. R Bindu should resign today itself. The minister, who is also the Pro Chancellor, violated the UGC norms and the Universities Act and unnecessarily interfered with the autonomy of the universities,” demanded the Opposition leader, while interacting with the media here on Thursday right after the SC verdict, which has come as huge set back to the LDF government.
‘This wicket is a wicket to fall for sure’
“It is illegal for the pro chancellor to write to the governor, who is the chancellor on behalf of the Vice Chancellor. The Higher Education Minister should not have interfered in the appointment of VC. Not only was the letter written, but the overage person was also appointed illegally,” he said.
Reiterating his demand that the minister be resigned immediately, Satheesan quipped: “This wicket is a wicket to fall for sure.”
The opposition alleged that there was a conspiracy between the governor and the state government. “The Supreme Court has said that the Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has yielded to the pressure of the Government. The Supreme Court verdict should be read as its strong warning against the LDF government’s attempts to turn universities into government departments,” Satheesan commented.
‘Govt and Governor deceiving people’
On Supreme Court voicing displeasure over Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan ‘sitting’ for two years on bills passed by the state legislature, Satheesan opined that the bills passed by the Assembly should not be withheld by the Governor unnecessarily.
“The opposition disagrees with the contents of the bill, which curtails the Lokayukta’s powers and makes universities a government department. However, the bills passed by the State legislature should not be withheld unnecessarily. At the same time, there is no dispute between the governor and the government. When the government is in crisis, the governor tries to make it appear that there is a dispute. During times of peace, they exchange sweets back-and-forth and ministers go in procession to the Raj Bhavan,” jested the opposition leader, adding: “It is just that both the government and the governor are deceiving people.”
