THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court’s intervention in forming search committees to select a permanent vice-chancellor in Digital University Kerala and A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University has dealt a blow to the government’s ongoing efforts to get an ordinance passed for constituting a five-member VC search panel in the digital university.
The reconstituted panel, with four members owing allegiance to the government and no nominee of the chancellor (governor), was meant to give the ruling dispensation a greater leverage in the VC selection process.
Notably, the hurry on the part of the government to get the ordinance promulgated was reportedly owing to the possibility of the draft UGC Regulations, 2025, coming into effect soon.
The government’s role in the VC selection process has been drastically cut down in the latest UGC regulations. On the other hand, the Raj Bhavan is of the view that the present arrangement has set the long-stalled process rolling and also given it a greater role in VC selection.
With the apex court asking both the government and the chancellor to give four names each for constituting a search committee for the two varsities, legal experts say it is likely that the panel would have two members each from both sides. The fifth member would be the nominee of the University Grants Commission (UGC) as laid down in the regulations.
“Going by past instances, the UGC nominee would mostly prefer to endorse the panel of VC probables proposed by the search committee members nominated by the chancellor,” said a top source.
This is expected to give the chancellor an upper-hand in the five-member panel, it is pointed out.
“The Raj Bhavan’s search panel nominees would also ensure that top academics are proposed to the VC post, overlooking their political affiliations. This is keeping in mind that the SC-monitored process would be an acid test of its neutrality in the VC selection process,” the source added.
Meanwhile, the government has submitted before the Supreme Court a list of probables for the proposed search committee.
The chancellor has been given time until August 18 to provide its list of nominees to the search panel.
“As per law, it is the chancellor who has to apply his mind independently and appoint a person from the panel as the VC. This means that no matter who the probables are, the final call on the VC selection rests with the chancellor,” the source said.
Govt's ordinance plan for digital university
Reconstituted search committee
GOVT - 4, UGC - 1, CHANCELLOR - 0
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A member nominated by University Grants Commission
An academician (Electronics & IT) nominated by state science & technology council
An eminent member in the study and research sphere selected by the University Board of Governors
An academician in the sphere of higher education nominated by government