AMN
The Kerala Highcourt today held that the vice-chancellors of the nine state universities can continue in their positions until the Governor, who is also the chancellor, issues a final order following the show-cause notices issued to them today. In a special sitting held to consider the petition filed by the vice-chancellors, who were asked to resign by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan yesterday, the high court asked whether the VC appointments were prima facie illegal.
The development comes following an instruction by the Kerala government asking all these VCs to stay and defy the Governor’s order. Citing the October 21st Supreme Court order that annulled the appointment of MS Rajashree as the VC of the A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University for violating the norms of the University Grants Commission, Governor Arif Muhammed Khan yesterday ordered those nine VCs to resign pointing out that the process of their appointments too was dubious.The issue had become a major turmoil between the State Govt and the Governor, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan openly criticized the Governor’s decision.
Meanwhile,Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said that he has issued fresh show cause notices to the Vice Chancellors who refused to resign. Addressing media persons at the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram today, the Governor said, time has been given to the Vice Chancellors to file their replies before the 3rd of next month. Referring to his directive yesterday that the Vice Chancellors should tender their resignations before the 1130 am today, the Governor said that he was suggesting them an honourable way out instead of sacking them.
The Governor said that the Supreme Court judgement against the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University had left him with no option but to go for fresh selection of the VCs. The Governor observed that the Supreme Court judgement did not find any deficiency or cast aspersions on the VC, but said the process of selection and appointment was illegal.