Kerala Guv acts tough, writes to Univs to send nominee for V-C selection search committee

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 8 (IANS) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is also the Chancellor, has written to registrars of nine universities in the state asking them to send their nominee to the search committee to select vice-chancellors.

According to the rule of selection of new vice-chancellor, the chancellor constitutes a three-member search committee and it includes one person nominated by the particular syndicate of the university which is looking for a new vice chancellor.

The other two includes a nominee of the chancellor and one from the University Grants Commission.

Incidentally, it was Wednesday in reply to a question on the vacant posts of vice-chancellors in the Universities of the state, Khan said he was not responsible for it.

“I wrote three letters to the Kerala University to give their nominee to the selection panel, but they have not given. Then when I went ahead with a two-member selection panel, the High Court did not allow that. But now with the very recent Supreme Court directive, we have started the process to constitute the interview panel,” said Khan.

“They (those not cooperating by sending the University syndicate nominee) know that my term will end in a year and are waiting for that,” added Khan and said will wait to see what happens.

So now all eyes are on the response of these nine universities on what their response would be as on Friday State secretary of CPI(M) M.V.Govindan said the governor is indulging in things which is beyond his brief not just in one or two issues, but in several and this will be strongly opposed to.