[ad_1]
The State government is likely to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order that cancelled the appointment of M.S. Rajasree as Vice Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University.
The verdict, the government feared, could lead to similar setbacks in other Vice Chancellor appointments, especially those in which the search committees had proposed single candidates instead of panels of multiple candidates to the Chancellor for the top positions.
Higher Education Minister R. Bindu hinted at the possibility of the State moving court in appeal against the unfavourable judgement while speaking to media persons in Thrissur on Saturday.
The government based its contention on the premise that the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines for selecting Vice Chancellors were advisory and not directive in nature. Besides, the judgement contradicted other Supreme Court verdicts on the legal standing of UGC norms, sources claimed.
Meanwhile, documents that prove the appointment of Gopinath Ravindran as Kannur University had been made on similar grounds in 2017 have emerged. The search-cum-selection committee had comprised the then chief secretary K.M. Abraham, former Indian Institute of Science (IISc) director P. Balaram and current Kerala State Higher Education Council vice chairman P.M. Rajan Gurukkal, who were nominees of the Chancellor, UGC and University Syndicate respectively.
Former Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam, who was then the Governor and Chancellor of the University, approved the committee’s recommendation to appoint Prof. Ravindran as Vice Chancellor.
Save University Campaign Committee wrote to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to seek steps to cancel his reappointment, alleging his initial appointment violated the UGC guidelines.
[ad_2]
Source link
