Four of nine VCs shown door were appointed by Governor Arif Khan
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as Governor Arif Mohammed Khan asked nine vice-chancellors to step down in the wake of a Supreme Court verdict, his decision to appoint four of these academics has come under the scanner.
In December last year, a search committee, constituted by Khan to shortlist a VC for the Sanskrit University had recommended only the name of M V Narayanan to the post. The minutes of the search committee meeting, accessed by TNIE, showed that the panel had shortlisted seven candidates “who met the eligibility criteria.” However, the committee unanimously proposed Narayanan’s name, saying he was “far superior to other candidates’’.
The governor had publicly criticised the search committee’s recommendation of a single person instead of a “panel of names” as laid down in the UGC regulations. The governor, who did not take a decision on the search committee’s recommendation for three months, appointed Narayanan to the post in March this year. This was reportedly at the insistence of the government.
“The governor’s opposition to the recommendation of a single person by the search committee clearly showed that he was aware it was a violation of UGC regulations. So the appointment of the same person later is mysterious,” said R S Sasikumar of the Save University Campaign Committee.
Prior to the appointment of Sanskrit University VC, the governor had also appointed M K Jayaraj as VC of Calicut University and K Riji John as Fisheries University VC. While the search committee for Calicut University VC comprised a non-academician (Chief Secretary), only a single name was proposed by the search committee for Fisheries University’s VC. Though both were in violation of the UGC regulations, there was no opposition from the governor.
The reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran as Kannur University VC was also done by Khan. However, when the reappointment turned controversial, the governor admitted his “mistake”. He also accused Chief Minister Pinararyi Vijayan of “exerting influence” on him to appoint the academic who hails from Kannur.
Guv calls up KU VC, exerts pressure to quit
T’Puram: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had reportedly exerted pressure on Kerala University Vice-Chancellor V P Mahadevan Pillai to resign before issuing marching orders to nine vice-chancellors, it is reliably learnt. The governor, who telephoned Pillai on Sunday afternoon, asked him to tender his resignation. According to sources, it was to avoid a situation where Pillai had to resign on the very day his term ends. However, Pillai said he would not resign and said the governor was free to terminate him if he wants. By Sunday evening, the governor wrote to the nine VCs asking them to resign by 11.30 am.