New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday appointed Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, former judge of the apex court, as chairperson of a search-cum-selection committee to oversee the appointment of regular vice-chancellors in two Kerala universities, amid a prolonged tussle between the state government and Governor Rajendra Arlekar.

The panel will recommend names for the posts of vice-chancellor at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the Kerala University of Digital Sciences Innovation and Technology.

“We firmly believe that this impasse, which has been created, should be resolved at the earliest. In such circumstances, we appoint Hon’ble Sudhanshu Dhulia, former judge of this Court, as chairperson of the search-cum-selection committee for both universities,” the bench ordered.

The court clarified that the chairperson may constitute either separate committees or a common panel for the two universities. Each committee will have five members — two nominated from lists provided by the Chancellor and the State government, in addition to a nominee of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Earlier, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Chancellor, and senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, representing the State, to suggest four names for inclusion in the five-member body.

The order came while hearing a special leave petition filed by the Kerala Governor in his capacity as Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, challenging a Kerala High Court verdict that struck down his appointment of temporary vice-chancellors without consulting the state.

The Supreme Court had earlier, on July 30, urged the Governor and the government to resolve the dispute amicably to facilitate regular appointments. It also allowed the Chancellor to reappoint the current interim vice-chancellors until permanent selections are made.

Following this, Governor Khan reappointed Dr K Sivaprasad and Dr Ciza Thomas as interim heads of the two universities, a move contested by the State government.

The Kerala High Court had previously ruled that as per Section 13(7) of the Technological University Act, the Chancellor can appoint a temporary vice-chancellor only from a panel recommended by the State government, and for a period not exceeding six months.

The controversy dates back to November 2024, when the Chancellor first appointed Dr Sivaprasad and Dr Thomas as temporary VCs. Their appointments were quashed by a single bench of the High Court in May this year, and that decision was later upheld by a division bench in July.

With the Supreme Court’s intervention, the process of appointing regular vice-chancellors is now expected to move forward under the supervision of the newly constituted search committee.
(With LiveLaw inputs.)