The Kerala cabinet on Wednesday decided to bring in an ordinance to remove Governor Arif Mohammed Khan from the post of chancellor of the state universities. According to sources the LDF government is planning to bring in an expert in place of the chancellor.
The draft ordinance prepared by the Law Department was taken up for discussion at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The state government’s move comes amidst the ongoing tussle between it and the Governor over functioning of universities, including appointment of Vice Chancellors, in the state.
Khan, as Chancellor of universities, had issued show-cause notices to VCs of 11 universities in the state against which the VCs’ had approached the court claiming that the notice was illegal and void.
Speaking to reporters, Higher Education Minister R Bindu said the government has taken the decision for the improvement of the higher education and universities in the state.
On queries whether Governor Arif Mohammed Khan would sign the ordinance, the minister said she hopes that he would act according to his Constitutional duties.
On October 21, the top court quashed the appointment of the VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, saying that as per the University Grants Commission (UGC), the search committee constituted by the state should have recommended a panel of not less than three suitable people in the field of engineering science to the Chancellor but, instead it sent only one name.
Based on that, Khan called for the resignations of VCs whose names were the only ones recommended for appointment and also those who were selected by a committee of which the Chief Secretary of the state was a member, terming both as a violation of UGC regulations.
On Tuesday, the Kerala Governor’s legal advisor and the standing counsel of the Chancellor of Universities in the state quit from their respective positions.
Senior advocate K Jaju Babu, who was appointed as the honorary legal advisor to the Governor in February 2009, and advocate M U Vijayalakshmi, who was serving as the standing counsel of the Chancellor, vacated their respective positions.
Both of them are from the same law firm — Babu and Babu — and were representing the Governor in the ongoing litigation in the Kerala High Court in connection with the action taken by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan against the Kerala University Senate as well as Vice-Chancellors of 11 universities in the state.
In his letter to the Governor, Jaju Babu said, “For reasons known to you also, the moment has come for me to vacate my position. Thank you so much for the opportunities for professional and personal development that you have provided me as honorary legal advisor, during your tenure also.
(With inputs from PTI)
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