Kerala govt to challenge governor’s decision on university VC search committees

KOCHI: The state government informed the Kerala High Court that it would file a petition before the court challenging the decision of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan constituting search committees to select vice-chancellors for six state-run universities without its nominees.

Advocate General K Gopalakrishna Kurup argued that the governor has no power to constitute a search committee unilaterally.

The submission was made on a petition filed by Mary George, former professor and head of the PG Department of Economics, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, seeking the appointment of vice-chancellors in all universities.

The petitioner alleged that there is a conscious effort on the part of the government to continue ad-hocism and the continuance of vice-chancellors appointed temporarily

in the universities in the state. It is detrimental to the interest of students and academic bodies.

When the case came up for hearing, counsel for the chancellor submitted that the selection committees had been constituted. The advocate general replied that the government would challenge it.