Kannur University V-C appointment: Undeterred by Kerala HC verdict, Opposition to intensify protest

Despite the High Court verdict, the Opposition has decided to intensify its protest against Higher Education Minister R Bindu and demanding her resignation.
Police use water cannons on a Youth Congress protest march to the official residence of Higher Education Minister R Bindu in Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo| EPS)
Police use water cannons on a Youth Congress protest march to the official residence of Higher Education Minister R Bindu in Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo| EPS)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite the High Court verdict, the Opposition has decided to intensify its protest against Higher Education Minister R Bindu and demanding her resignation. Opposition Leader VD Satheesan on Wednesday said that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has also committed a misdeed by signing the recommendation to give reappoint Gopinath Ravindran as the Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University.

The HC's dismissal of the writ petition against the reappointment has not deterred the Opposition. Kannur University senate member K Premachandran Keezhoth and Academic Council member Dr Shino P Jose, who had filed the plea, have decided to approach the division bench of the HC.

After he inaugurated the protest by various university employees, who owe allegiance to the Congress, in front of the Secretariat, Satheesan told reporters that the plea's dismissal was on expected lines. "When the case is taken up by the division bench, it will be considering the latest developments. For the first time in the higher education sector, there was undue political intervention in the reappointment of the VC. Favouritism is being shown in appointments in academic committees too. UDF will not tolerate it. Bindu has no right to stay in office," he said.

Congress state president K Sudhakaran saidthat  the Left government's move to protect Bindu will not be tolerated. "Her action reeks of nepotism. It is a breach of the oath of office she had taken. It is high time appointments in universities were referred to the Public Service Commission," Sudhakaran said.

On  Wednesday, Youth Congress activists took out a protest march to the official residence of Bindu. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala sent a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking Bindu’s ouster from the cabinet. 

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