Kerala: Governor's resignation order to vice-chancellors faces opposition, triggers battle
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan—who also serves as the chancellor of universities in the state—took an unusual step on Sunday by seeking the resignation of vice-chancellors of nine universities. However, Kannur University Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Gopinath Ravindran, has refused to comply with the directive, claiming he has done nothing wrong to step down. Meanwhile, several political parties accused the governor of overstepping his constitutional limits.
What exactly did Kannur University VC say?
On the order, Dr. Ravindran said, "As per the rules, the chancellor can demand the resignation of the vice-vhancellor on grounds of financial irregularities and misconduct." "So far, no such incident was reported at Kannur University. If he (governor) terminates me, let him do it." He said a case related to his appointment is pending in the Supreme Court, and the matter was subjudice.
How did the controversy begin?
On Sunday, the Kerala governor ordered the VCs of nine universities in Kerala to resign by 11:30 am on Monday in an unprecedented action. The move followed the Supreme Court's decision to revoke MS Rajasree's appointment as the vice-chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU), Thiruvananthapuram. In a statement, Khan claimed that the vice-chancellor appointment procedure had violated University Grants Commission (UGC) rules.
Grounds cited by governor in the order
According to reports, the governor's office had questioned the appointment of the nine VCs on various grounds. Notably, five of the vice-chancellors were asked to go as they were appointed without panel names during the selection process. The other four were picked through a process wherein eminent subject experts were not part of the selection committee and were thus asked to submit their resignations.
Ruling LDF surprised, instructed VCs to ignore the directive
Meanwhile, Governor Khan's unprecedented order sparked a battle in the state, catching the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration off guard. However, the party stated it would strengthen its commitment to oppose Raj Bhavan's attempt to "impose the RSS Hindu majoritarian agenda on Kerala's higher education sector," reported The Hindu. Reportedly, the LDF-led government has even instructed the VCs to disregard the chancellor's directive.
Other parties also react to order
Supporting the LDF's stand, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and former Kerala Education Minister ET Muhammad Basheer claimed Khan overstepped his constitutional authority. However, United Democratic Front member and Kerala Assembly Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, supported Khan's move. "The governor has corrected an error, and I welcome it," he said. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has not yet reacted to the development.
