Guv treads cautiously as Govt seeks nominee for VC search panel

Thiruvananthapuram: The Governor has not replied to a letter sent by the Kerala Government requesting to nominate a person to the five-member search committee for selecting the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University. The government's action is based on the University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 which has not been signed by the Governor yet. But it is quite baffling why the government approached the Chancellor seeking a nominee when it sought to do away with this top university post through legislation!

The Higher Education Department Principal Secretary has written to the Governor’s Principal Secretary seeking the Governor’s nominee to the Committee.

The letter from the Government says the Committee will include nominees from the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Government, the Higher Education Council and the University Syndicate, besides the Governor’s nominee.

The government has sent the letter when it became clear that the Governor himself would constitute a search committee as per the existing rules. Raj Bhavan has already written to the UGC seeking a nominee to form the Search Committee.

Interestingly, the government has not made any such move to make appointments even though the VC of the Kerala University has retired and the VC of the Kerala Technological University was removed from the post by the Supreme Court. The government also did not take any action to appoint a person in place of the VC of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) who was removed by the High Court.

Why Raj Bhavan has ignored the letter
The Raj Bhavan has decided to ignore the government’s move, because, under the existing law, it is the Governor, as the appointing authority, who should constitute the search committee comprising three members. It also suspects that the government’s aim is to pave the way for a legal battle over the issue if Governor Arif Mohammed Khan rejects the letter. Through such a move, the government can bring to the attention of the court issues, including the Governor’s refusal to sign the Bills passed by the Assembly. This apparently explains why the Raj Bhavan has not replied to the letter.

SC guideline
The Supreme Court had passed a verdict on March 3, 2022 making it clear that all the members of the search committee should be granted the same privilege and importance to nominate candidates for the post of VC. When the number of members in the committee goes up to 5 from 3, the VC could be nominated based on the majority opinion in the committee. Thus, the nominees of the UGC and the Governor will become mere spectators.