New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 13 In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court on Wednesday intervened in the ongoing dispute over the appointment of Vice-Chancellors at the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and the Kerala Digital University in Kerala.
The apex court directed both the Kerala government and Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar, who is also the Chancellor of state universities, to submit separate panels of four names each.
The court then announced that it will constitute the Search Committees to identify suitable candidates for the posts after receiving the two lists.
Then these panels will be scrutinised, along with a representative from the University Grants Commission (UGC), before the court finalises the composition of the Search Committees.
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 VCs.
It also instructed the state not to escalate the dispute over the appointment of temporary VCs.
State Higher Education Minister Dr R.Bindhu claimed that the apex court directive is a clear victory for the state, and they will abide by what the apex court has directed.
The intervention comes amid a deadlock between the state government and the Governor.
While the state government argued that under the University Act, it has the authority to propose names, the Governor insisted that appointments must follow UGC regulations.
The disagreement had left both universities functioning under temporary leadership for months.
Seeking to break the impasse, the Supreme Court stressed the need for timely appointments in the interest of both institutions. It also urged both sides to resolve their differences through discussions rather than confrontation.
The state had earlier demanded that the Governor’s unilateral appointments of temporary VCs be annulled.
However, the court made it clear that this dispute should not be pursued further, and the focus should remain on completing the permanent appointments.
The case will be taken up again on Wednesday, by which time both the government and the Governor are expected to submit their respective panels.
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