New Delhi, Dec 18 The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the resolution of the prolonged standoff between the Kerala government and Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar on the appointment of regular Vice Chancellors to the two key state universities.
A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan was informed that a consensus had been reached between the Governor, in his capacity as Chancellor, and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government, and that appointments had been made to the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology.
“Today, we are happy to record that both the chancellor and the government have in one voice reported that the appointments to the post of VC in the two universities have been made from the list of panel candidates,” the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench noted in its order.
The apex court also placed on record its gratitude to the court-appointed committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, adding that its endeavour was to ensure that the universities had permanent heads so that “the interests of all stakeholders are safeguarded”.
“This case illustrates how a timely and decisive intervention by this court can go a long way in protecting the rights of the citizens,” the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench said.
It observed that the Technological and Digital universities dealing with cutting-edge subjects had remained “rudderless” due to the lack of consensus between the Governor and the state government.
The top court said that its primary concern was for students, parents, and teaching and non-teaching staff who were “caught in the crossfire” during the standoff.
Appreciating the final resolution, it remarked that by promulgating the appointment orders, “curtains have been gracefully brought down in this matter”.
Attorney General N. Venkatramani, appearing for the Governor, told the apex court that the deadlock was resolved after the Governor himself reached out to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
“The Governor himself called the Chief Minister, and they had a meeting. And that is how it got resolved finally,” he said.
At this, the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench remarked: “We hope in the future they keep talking like this and arrive at an understanding in the larger interest of the country.” However, it clarified that other legal questions raised in the matter have been kept open and will be considered at a later stage.
Earlier, talks between senior ministers and the Governor had failed to yield a breakthrough, and the dispute escalated after the Governor filed affidavits opposing the Chief Minister’s recommendations and questioning the appointment process.
During a previous hearing, the Supreme Court warned that if no consensus was reached, it would itself proceed with the appointments. Following this, the two sides arrived at a consensus ahead of Thursday’s hearing.
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