Thiruvananthapuram Dec 10 The standoff between Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar and the Pinarayi Vijayan government over the appointment of Vice Chancellors to the Technological and Digital Universities deepened on Wednesday after high-level talks failed to yield any consensus.
Law Minister P. Rajeev and Higher Education Minister R. Bindu met the Governor at the Lok Bhavan as part of a reconciliation effort initiated following stern observations by the Supreme Court.
However, the hour-long meeting ended without a breakthrough, with both sides sticking firmly to their positions.
Governor Arlekar reiterated that the candidates he had proposed were fully qualified and questioned the Ministers on why Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not attend the discussions.
He also said he was not given a clear explanation of how the Chief Minister determined the order of priority in his recommendations.
The dispute escalated after the Governor recently filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court opposing the Chief Minister’s nominees.
While the Chief Minister had recommended C. Satheesh Kumar for the Kerala Technological University and Saji Gopinath for the Digital University, the Governor insisted on appointing Ciza Thomas to the Technological University and Dr Priya Chandran to the Digital University.
The Governor was unhappy with the Chief Minister for sidelining merit and excluding Thomas.
The Supreme Court, which is hearing the case, has expressed strong displeasure at the continuing deadlock.
A bench headed by Justice J.B. Pardiwala warned that if no consensus is reached based on the lists submitted by the two search committees headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, the court would itself proceed with the Vice Chancellor appointments.
The state government has maintained that appointments must be made strictly from the panel submitted by the Chief Minister, while asserting its willingness for a negotiated settlement.
With the latest round of talks also failing, all eyes are now on the Supreme Court, whose next move is expected to decisively shape the outcome of the high-profile constitutional tussle.
To cool things down, Rajeeve, after the failed meeting with the Governor, said discussions would continue.
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