Governor Khan welcomes Kerala varsity resolution against him

The passing of a resolution against Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan by the senate of the University of Kerala had come as a shocker. However, Governor Khan on Saturday chose to welcome the senate's move and said he had no enmity toward his critics.

That said, the Governor, who is the Chancellor of universities in the state, said the legality of the resolution has to be verified.

The senate's argument was that the Governor constituting a Search Committee for selecting a new Vice-Chancellor for the Kerala University without its representative was undemocratic.

While announcing the decision to set up a search committee, the Raj Bhavan had notified that a representative of the senate would be included once a suitable name came forward.

It is understood that the senate's inaction had delayed the setting up of a search committee in early August.

Meanwhile, the incumbent vice-chancellor, VP Mahadevan Pillai, whose tenure ends in October, has remained silent on the matter.

The developments come at a time, Governor Khan has been drawn into a tussle with more than one university in the state.

His decision to annul the appointment of Priya Varghese as an associate professor at Kannur University on the grounds of nepotism -- as she is the wife of KK Ragesh, who is the private secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- had already upset the state government.

Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran had said the other day that they would challenge the Governor's order in court.