Thiruvananthapuram: The removal of 15 members of the Senate of Kerala University has been notified by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday. The notification has been issued by Khan as the Chancellor of universities in the state. The move is following the violation of his October 15 direction to the Vice Chancellor of Kerala University to immediately remove the Senate members.

The gazette notification said that by a letter dated October 15, 2022, the order of the Chancellor withdrawing his pleasure, with effect from that day, in allowing the Senate members to continue was communicated.

"Now, therefore, in pursuance to this, the Chancellor is also pleased to notify the withdrawal of the above Senate members nominated as per the above provisions with effect from October 15, 2022," the notification said.

Khan had ordered the removal of the Senate members after his repeated directions to hold a Senate meeting and provide a nominee of the Senate for the selection committee went unheeded, sources in Raj Bhavan said.

The selection committee was to appoint a Vice-Chancellor, said the sources.

The office of the Chancellor had conveyed the same to the Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University and had said, "In view of the above, I am directed to request you to ensure immediate compliance of the above order of the Chancellor and report."

Khan's October 15 decision was criticised by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who on Tuesday at a press conference here, had said that it was not according to law.

"The steps he took were not according to the law. Some of the Senate members were ex-officio and the law does not give him the authority to remove them," Vijayan had said.

(Inputs from PTI)