THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid dramatic scenes, the Senate meeting of the University of Kerala on Friday failed to reach a consensus on proposing a nominee to the search committee to choose a new vice-chancellor for the varsity. Higher Education Minister R Bindu’s unprecedented action of chairing the Senate meeting in her capacity as pro-chancellor triggered a war of words with Vice-Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal.
The Senate meeting was convened after Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is the varsity’s Chancellor, asked the university to give its nominee to the search panel to select a permanent vice-chancellor. Kunnummal, who is the vice-chancellor of Kerala University of Health Sciences, has been holding charge of Kerala University since October 2022.
Eleven of the 17 senate members nominated by the Chancellor had entered the hall at 8.30am for the meeting that was scheduled at 11 am. This was to prevent any attempt by the SFI from attending the meeting. The student outfit had been protesting against the governor for nominating allegedly pro-right wing members to the Senate.
In a surprise move, Bindu arrived at the university to ‘chair’ the Senate meeting. At the outset, Kunnummal cited university rules and said it was his prerogative as vice-chancellor to chair the meeting of the Senate. The minister replied that the varsity rules empowers the pro-chancellor to chair the meeting in the absence of the chancellor.
Deviating from the meeting’s sole agenda of selecting a Senate nominee, the minister allowed Left-backed members, who enjoy a majority in the Senate, to come up with a ‘resolution’ stating that the ongoing meeting was ‘illegal’. They contended that since a Bill altering the constitution of the search committee was under President’s consideration, the Senate meeting to choose a nominee was ‘illegal’.
Without carrying out any discussion, the minister declared the ‘resolution’ as passed and also announced that the meeting was over, amid huge protests by pro-UDF and governor-nominated Senate members.
Meanwhile, pro-UDF and chancellor-nominated Senate members proposed to the vice-chancellor their respective nominees to the search panel. While former vice-chancellor of Kerala University of Health Sciences M K C Nair was the choice of the chancellor-nominated members, the pro-UDF members proposed former VC of Sanskrit University M C Dileep Kumar as their nominee. The vice-chancellor, who refused to sign the minutes of the meeting chaired by the minister, is likely to submit the names proposed by both sections of Senate members to the Chancellor.