THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said that he will initiate the process to select new vice-chancellors immediately after the High Court disposes of the writ petitions challenging his show-cause notices to the incumbents. The governor said the new VCs will be appointed through a fair process and that the academic glory of universities would be restored. It will ensure that nobody interferes with the functioning of the universities.
The governor said the Supreme Court has settled the law with regard to the state government’s claims on the laws enacted by the state assembly. “The state government may adopt any provision regarding the universities but if those provisions are repugnant to the UGC regulations, the latter will prevail,” he said. This principle was reaffirmed by the High Court as well.
The governor said the Kannur University vice-chancellor appears like a “habitual offender”. “More than three times the High Court had reversed his decisions. He looks like a habitual offender. The VC, an educated man, offended the law because of the instructions from the chief minister’s office. The CM wanted to appoint his persons in the university,” Khan said.
Khan said he will not get actively involved in university affairs but will only have a supervisory role. “I don’t wish to run the show. I will have a supervisory role only. Universities must be totally free so that they can win the respect and honour of the world. I want to ensure that every university is run by the VC without the interference of anybody,” he said.
Khan blames govt for Vizhinjam violence
The governor blamed the government for the violence at Vizhinjam. The government is more interested in university appointments than law and order maintenance. “Unfortunately the government is not interested in running the business of the government. They are interested in running the universities because they are soft targets. You can get your relatives and cadre appointed there,” he said. The governor said he will look into the incident in which a police station was attacked at Vizhinjam.