SC intervenes to resolve VC appointment deadlock in 2 Kerala varsities
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday intervened in the ongoing dispute over the appointment of Vice-Chancellors at Kerala’s A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and Kerala Digital University. In an unprecedented move, the apex court directed both the Kerala government and Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar, who also serves as Chancellor of state universities, to submit separate panels of four names each.
The court said it would constitute Search Committees to identify suitable candidates for the posts after receiving the two lists. These panels will be scrutinised, along with a representative from the University Grants Commission (UGC), before the final composition of the Search Committees is approved by the court.
During the hearing, the bench questioned the Governor on the reasons for the prolonged stalemate in forming the committees, which has delayed the appointment of permanent Vice-Chancellors. The court also instructed the state not to escalate the dispute over temporary VC appointments.
State Higher Education Minister Dr R. Bindhu welcomed the directive, calling it a clear victory for the state and stating that the government would abide by the court’s instructions.
The intervention comes amid a deadlock between the state government and the Governor. While the government argued that it has the authority under the University Act to propose names, the Governor maintained that appointments must follow UGC regulations. The disagreement had left both universities functioning under temporary leadership for several months.
Seeking to break the impasse, the Supreme Court emphasised the importance of timely appointments in the interest of both institutions and urged both sides to resolve their differences through discussion rather than confrontation. The state had earlier sought the annulment of the Governor’s unilateral appointments of temporary VCs, but the court made it clear that the dispute should not be pursued further, with the focus remaining on completing permanent appointments.
The case is scheduled for further hearing on Wednesday, by which time both the government and the Governor are expected to submit their respective panels.
With IANS inputs
