THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the selection of a new Vice-Chancellor for Calicut University being delayed inordinately, the state government’s plans to back an academic of its choice on the top post may hit a roadblock.According to the Calicut University Act, a person to be appointed to the post of Vice-Chancellor should not be above the age of 60 when the appointment is made. TNIE has learnt that K M Seethi, a senior academic from MG University, is the LDF government’s choice for the post. However, Seethi will turn 60 on May 28 and any further delay in selecting the new Vice-Chancellor will make him ineligible for the post.
The Vice-Chancellor is appointed by the Governor — the Chancellor of universities in the state — from a list of names submitted by a selection panel. In this case, the panel that shortlisted the Vice-Chancellor candidates comprised a state government representative (Chief Secretary Tom Jose), university representative (planning board vice chairman V K Ramachandran) and a UGC representative (JNU Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar). It is learnt that the government and university representatives preferred Seethi. The UGC representative is understood to have recommended the name of C A Jayaprakash, principal scientist with the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Raj Bhavan sources, the other shortlisted names are M V Narayanan, a Calicut University professor who is also the second choice of the government and varsity nominees, C T Aravindakumar, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of MG University, and Suresh Mathew, also from MG University.
The names were submitted before the Governor on May 18 but the Raj Bhavan is yet to announce the new Vice-Chancellor even after nine days. Sources in the Raj Bhavan said that a petition has come up before the Governor regarding the propriety of selecting an academic set to retire in a few days as Vice-Chancellor.
Though the appointment of a person as Vice-Chancellor even a day before turning 60 can be justified technically, it will land the whole process in a controversy, the petitioners pointed out.Now, all eyes are on the Governor on whether he will consider academic merit or political influence in the Vice-Chancellor selection.