THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has reiterated that the appointment of 11 vice-chancellors, on whom he had served show cause notices, was “irregular, illegal and void ab-initio”.
The governor’s remarks in New Delhi assume significance as barely a week remains for the vice-chancellors to reply to the notices asking why they should not be removed from their posts in the wake of a recent Supreme Court verdict.
“The (Supreme Court) judgment does not deal with just one vice-chancellor,” Khan underscored. The governor’s assertion is seen as a reply to the government’s stance that the verdict in the KTU vice-chancellor case was applicable only in that specific case.
The governor issued marching orders to the vice-chancellors after the Supreme Court ruled that appointment of a VC without following the UGC regulations was “ab-initio void”. The governor had first written a letter to the vice-chancellors asking them to step down, but sent show cause notices to them the next day after the academics approached the High Court.
While nine vice-chancellors have been asked to submit reply by November 3, the deadline for two other VCs to show cause is November 4. Till now, no vice-chancellor has replied to the governor’s show cause notice. Khan is expected to be back in the state on November 3.
The governor also indicated that he is open to “correction” on his opinions. However, he added it was his duty to let people know about practices that harm the interest of the state in the long run.
M R Baiju sworn in PSC chairman
T’Puram: M R Baiju was sworn in the chairman of the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) at a function held at the PSC headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. His predecessor M K Sakeer administered the oath. The appointment is for six years. PSC secretary Saju George oversaw the proceedings. Baiju, a PSC member since 2017, was nominated for the post last week. He is a professor with the electronics and communication department of the College of Engineering Trivandrum. A native of Vakkom, Baiju resides at Ambalamukku in Thiruvananthapuram.