THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what could escalate the tension between the governor and the state government, Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday said an inquiry will be ordered into the charges of nepotism in the appointments made to various posts in the universities in the state.
The governor is learnt to have sought legal advice regarding constituting an expert commission to review all recent teaching post appointments in various universities.
The move comes in the backdrop of the controversy surrounding the Kannur University syndicate’s decision to appoint Priya Varghese, wife of the chief minister’s private secretary K K Ragesh, as associate professor in the Malayalam department. The governor has stayed the move and slapped notices on the vice-chancellor and selection committee members.
“Right from the professor down to the lower staff, they want to have their relatives... Now I am going to have a full-fledged inquiry on how many such appointments have been made during the past 2-3 years”, Khan told reporters in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Kerala University senate held on Saturday adopted a resolution urging the governor to disband the search and selection committee to choose a new VC that was constituted without its nominee.
The resolution observed that it was undemocratic for the governor to form a search committee without including the university’s representative.
The LDF-dominated senate of the university also decided to defer choosing its nominee to the search-cum- selection committee. Senate member and CPM leader K H Babujan moved the resolution and sources said outgoing Vice-Chancellor C Mahadevan Pillai, who chaired the senate meeting, remained a mute witness to the proceedings. Khan, who is in New Delhi, sought details of the KU senate meeting from Raj Bhavan officials.
Varsities in state converted into political theatres: Governor
While including the UGC nominee and chancellor’s nominee in the selection committee and leaving a slot vacant for the university nominee earlier in the month, the governor had said the tenure of the incumbent VC would end in October and rules stipulated that the selection process needed to be initiated three months prior to the end of the tenure of the incumbent.
Sources said the legality and propriety of the university senate’s action would be examined by Raj Bhavan officials.
The decision of VC Mahadevan Pillai to permit the presentation of the resolution is being viewed by Raj Bhavan on a par with the open criticism made by Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran against the governor.
On Saturday, Governor Khan slammed the Kannur University VC and said he had stooped to the level of a party cadre.
He said universities in the state had been converted into political theatres and he wouldn’t allow it as long as he continued to be the chancellor.
Later in the day, speaking to reporters in Delhi, Khan said he welcomed criticism and the Kerala University senate has the right to adopt a resolution criticising his act.
Reacting to the controversy, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan called for a review of the re-appointment of Gopinath Ravindran as the Kannur University VC.
“The government is making universities like departments under its control. All appointments to the universities that had violated rules need to be examined,” he told reporters in Kalpetta.