THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF government’s move to facilitate the appointment of an academic of its choice as the Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, by bypassing the selection committee laid down in the UGC regulations, turned out to be the proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back, triggering an angry outburst from Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
The Governor, who is the Chancellor of state universities, had recently drawn flak from the academic community for acquiescing to the political pressure exerted by the government to re-appoint Gopinath Ravindran as Vice Chancellor of Kannur University. So, when another bid to circumvent his authority was made in the case of Sanskrit University, the Governor put his foot down.
A close look at the process of Vice Chancellor selection in Sanskrit University shows how the government deftly played its cards. The Governor had appointed a selection committee as per UGC regulations to short list the names of Vice Chancellor probables. The committee began the process of inviting applications from candidates on September 9. However, no shortlist was prepared within the committee’s two month term.
According to the Sanskrit University Act, if the committee fails to make its recommendations within 60 days of its appointment, it shall cease to exist and the Chancellor shall appoint a suitable person to be the Vice Chancellor on the advice of the government. “It is reliably learnt that the government had advised the committee to exhaust its tenure and leave its task unfinished so that it could recommend a person of its choice,” said a source.
Soon, the government recommended the name of an academic close to the ruling dispensation to the post. According to sources, the Governor returned the government’s recommendation, saying it was against UGC regulations.
The government reportedly tried to reason with the Governor that its action was as per the University Act and conveniently sidelined the UGC regulation that insists on selection through a search committee. Ironically, while recommending reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran as Vice Chancellor in Kannur University, the government had sidelined the University Act which laid down 60 years as the age limit.
“The Governor was irked by the government’s interpretation of University Acts and UGC regulations as per its convenience so as to facilitate political appointments to top academic posts,” said a source in Raj Bhavan.