The Supreme Court (SC) has strongly directed Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, in his capacity as Chancellor, to take immediate action on the Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia committee report concerning the appointment of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) for two state universities. The court has mandated that the Governor reach a decision on the report within one week, emphasizing that the report is not just an "ordinary piece of paper".

This directive from a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan came in response to complaints from the Kerala government that Governor Arlekar had failed to act on the recommendations forwarded by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, which were based on the Dhulia panel's findings. The court stressed that the Governor is expected to act on the committee's recommendations "without further delay".

The issue of VC appointments has been a point of contention between the Kerala government and the Governor, who also serves as Chancellor of the universities. The Supreme Court intervened on August 18, 2025, appointing a committee headed by retired Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia to identify suitable candidates for the positions at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology. The court had directed that the shortlisted names, endorsed by Justice Dhulia, be presented to the Chief Minister for consideration, and that the Governor make appointments in the order of preference recommended by the Chief Minister.

The Governor has also approached the Supreme Court, seeking to exclude the Chief Minister from the VC selection process, arguing that the universities' statutes do not grant the Chief Minister a role in appointments. Furthermore, the Governor has challenged a Kerala High Court ruling related to the previous appointment of Professor K. Sivaprasad as Vice-Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, which the state government claimed violated the 2015 Act by exceeding the six-month limit for interim appointments.

The Supreme Court's intervention underscores the importance of timely resolution in the VC appointments, as prolonged uncertainty can negatively impact the functioning of the universities. The court has scheduled a follow-up hearing for December 5, 2025, to examine the Governor's decision on the Dhulia report.

This is not the first time the Supreme Court has addressed the issue of gubernatorial delays. Justice Pardiwala also authored the August 8 judgment in the Tamil Nadu Governor case, which set timelines for Governors to act on pending state bills. However, the turn of events has led to public debates about gubernatorial offices and their impact on federalism.

In July 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the Governor to make temporary VC appointments within the statutory six-month limit, while cautioning both the Governor and the State to avoid politicizing the issue and to prioritize students' interests until regular appointments are finalized.