Vice Chancellors to ‘politely’ respond to Kerala Governor citing University Acts and Statutes

The Vice Chancellors who had received notices from Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, asking them to explain why their appointments should not be considered “void ab initio” (void from the beginning), would primarily focus on the provisions governing the appointment of vice chancellors under the University Acts and Statutes in their reply.

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Feud context

The Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the State Universities, had issued notices to them after the Supreme Court cancelled the appointment of Dr. M.S. Jayasree as Vice Chancellor of A. P. J Abdul Kalam Technological University holding that it was made in violation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations.

The apex court had held her appointment as illegal while pointing out that the search committee, which was not constituted as per the UGC Regulations, had recommended only one name and not a panel of suitable candidates. Mr. Khan had quoted the Supreme Court order while issuing the notices to the vice chancellors.

Gearing up for legal war

According to the Vice Chancellors who spoke to The Hindu on the condition of anonymity, their appointments were made by the Chancellor himself on the basis of the recommendation made by the search committee. The University Acts and Statutes clearly stated that the Chancellor shall appoint the person, if the search committee unanimously recommended the name of only one person. The panel of three names is submitted to the Chancellor, if the committee is unable to recommend a name unanimously, they said.

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The Vice Chancellors pointed out that they intended to provide a ‘polite reply’ to the Chancellor, though they had consulted lawyers while drafting the response. We will be sending both the soft and hard copies of our reply to the Chancellor before the deadline set by him, they said. On the future course of action, once the Governor decides to cancel their appointments, the Vice Chancellors pointed out that legal recourse would be a definite option.

Mr. Khan had asked nine Vice Chancellors to submit their reply to his notice by 5 p.m on November 3 while two others were told to furnish their response by 5 p.m on November 4.