SC to form search committee for Kerala VC appointments amid Governor–State standoff

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will constitute a search committee to shortlist candidates for the posts of Vice-Chancellor at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (AKTU) and Digital University, in a bid to break the deadlock between the Kerala Governor and the State government over appointments.

A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan suggested that both sides propose four names each, from which the Court will finalise the panel. One member will be nominated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The court was hearing a petition by the Kerala Governor, in his capacity as Chancellor of AKTU, challenging a Kerala High Court verdict that upheld the State’s authority to recommend temporary Vice-Chancellors. The matter also involved a fresh State application against the Governor’s appointment of Dr K Sivaprasad as interim VC, bypassing its recommendations.

Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Governor, argued that the interim appointment complied with earlier Supreme Court directions. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the State, countered that the Technological University Act requires the Chancellor to act on the State’s recommendations for such posts. He said the State had submitted three names on August 1, but the Governor appointed Sivaprasad the same day without accepting them.

The Bench observed that prolonged disputes over procedure were stalling regular appointments. “The Chancellor may participate in the regular appointment process, but why create a stalemate at the stage of forming the search committee? You both give us four names, and we will consider them. One member will come from the UGC,” Justice Pardiwala said.

Gupta argued that under UGC regulations and the Technological University Act, the State has the power to constitute the committee. The Attorney General maintained that the Chancellor was empowered to do so, but agreed he had no objection if the notification was issued by the State.

The judges indicated they would temporarily set aside the dispute over the interim VC to focus on filling the posts with regular appointees. “In the larger interest, we may ignore for now what has been pointed out about the temporary VC. But why waste time on the permanent VC issue? We will help you out and appoint the committee,” Justice Pardiwala remarked.

The matter will be taken up again on Thursday after both sides submit their respective lists of suggested members.
(With BarandBench inputs.)