Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 The tussle between Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan government and Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar has intensified with the latter moving the Supreme Court seeking to exclude the Chief Minister from the process of appointing Vice Chancellors (VCs) of the state’s Digital and Technical Universities.
In his petition, the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of state universities, has demanded that the panel of shortlisted candidates prepared by the Search Committee be submitted directly to him rather than to the Chief Minister, as directed by the Supreme Court in an earlier order issued on August 18.
He has also sought the inclusion of a University Grants Commission (UGC) representative in the committee, arguing that the absence of such a nominee would undermine the integrity of the process.
A separate plea has also been filed to make the UGC an official party to the case.
The Supreme Court had earlier constituted a five-member Search Committee, headed by former apex court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, to recommend names for permanent Vice Chancellor appointments in the two universities.
The court had based its directive on a precedent set in a similar case relating to VC appointments in West Bengal.
However, the Governor has maintained that the situation in Kerala is different and reiterated his position that the Chief Minister should have no role in the appointment process.
He has pointed out that the appointment procedure is governed by UGC norms, and any deviation, such as the absence of a UGC representative, will create complications.
The Governor’s latest move is being viewed as an assertion of his authority in his role as Chancellor. The development comes at a politically delicate time.
The state government has invited the Governor to its Onam celebrations in an effort to reduce tensions, and it remains to be seen if the Governor will make it to the programme.
However, his decision to escalate the matter legally has reignited the standoff, underlining the deepening friction between the Governor and the Vijayan government.
Incidentally, neither Vijayan nor his cabinet colleagues had turned up to the Governor's 'At Home' programme on August 15, even after being invited.
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