The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Kerala government on a petition challenging the reappointment of Kannur University Vice-Chancellor.
A Bench of Justices Abdul Nazeer and Vikram Nath, on April 4, issued notice to respondents concerned including Kerala state and Kannur University.
The Court was hearing a petition filed by Premachandran Keezhoth and others. The petitioner had filed a Special Leave Petition questioning as to whether there is any distinction in law in the matter of 'appointment' and/or re-appointment to a public office in respect of procedure/ eligibility of selection, where a procedure/eligibility for appointment' has been set out in the University law and the applicable UGC Regulations.
The petition has been against the Kerala High Court judgement.
"It is respectfully submitted that the impugned judgment is ex facie erroneous and contrary to well-settled principles of service jurisprudence because it proceeds on a wrong assumption. That is, the judgment assumes once an appointment to a post is made through a proper channel, re-appointment of the same person to such office upon expiry of the first term can bypass the original procedure prescribed, including the Constitution of a selection committee. While doing so the High Court has assumed that there is a distinction in the procedure for appointments' and 're-appointments', whereas there is no such distinction recognised under law," the petitioner said.
The Petitioners, who claimed to be the elected members of the Senate and Academic Council of Kannur University, a statutory University in the State of Kerala, said that they sought a writ of quo-warranto against the Vice-Chancellor because he is continuing as the Vice-Chancellor of the Respondent University without any legal entitlement to it.
Kerala High Court has dismissed the writ petition, holding that the impugned appointment violated no statutory provisions in the "reappointment" of the man concerned as the Vice-Chancellor. That Single Judge's judgment stands affirmed by the Division Bench, through judgment dated March 23 2022.
( With inputs from ANI )
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