Calicut VC: Guv springs a surprise; Miffed, government to seek legal remedy

Thiruvananthapuram: After a lull, the Governor and the government are at daggers drawn. On Wednesday, Higher Education Minister R Bindu termed the notification issued by Governor Rajendra Arlekar on November 3 inviting applications for the post of Calicut University Vice-Chancellor as "a new chapter in the authoritarian excesses committed by the Sangh Parivar in the country".

The higher education minister said that the Governor had encroached into the domain of the state government. "Such intrusion into the powers of public universities that are financially nourished and supervised by the state government is deplorable," the minister said. She said legal action would be initiated.

A day after the notification was issued, on November 4, the Governor had also approved the search-cum-selection committee constituted to draw up eligible candidates for the Calicut VC's post. This was a surprise the Governor had pulled on the government.

Under the Calicut University Act, the Chancellor/Governor has the upper hand in the selection of the VC. Under Section 10(1) of the Act, the search committee will have three members: one elected by the Senate, one nominated by the chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the third nominated by the Chancellor. This gives the Chancellor a decisive 2-1 majority in the search committee. The Senate member alone is the state government nominee.

Therefore, the government was trying to delay the formation of the search panel. The earlier Senate nominee, Dharmaraj Adat, former VC of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, declined the nomination. Then, A Sabu, the member secretary, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, was nominated by the Senate on October 30. He, too, had written to the University registrar citing his inability to accept the nomination. 

It was at this point, when Sabu had formally intimated his desire to opt out of the search panel, that the Governor approved the search committee with three names, including Sabu's. The other members are: Eluvathingal D Jemmis, National Science Chair Professor (nominee of the Chancellor); and Ravindra D. Kulkarni, Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai (UGC nominee).