The Supreme Court (SC) expressed satisfaction on Thursday as the Kerala government and Governor reached an agreement regarding the appointment of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) for two universities in the state. This consensus ends a prolonged disagreement between the Governor and the state government.
The agreement concerns the appointment of VCs for the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the Kerala University of Digital Sciences. The resolution was achieved through the intervention of the apex court and a committee led by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia. The Supreme Court had appointed Justice Dhulia to head a panel for shortlisting names to end the impasse. The court entrusted the committee with recommending at least three names for each VC post.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan acknowledged the resolution, noting that the universities had been without permanent heads for too long, impacting students, teachers, and parents. The court emphasized the importance of a permanent VC for the proper functioning of a university. The bench said that its intervention ensured that the universities did not remain "rudderless" any longer.
Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Governor, informed the court that the matter was resolved and communicated to Justice Dhulia's committee. Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta, appearing for the Kerala government, acknowledged the positive development. The Supreme Court appreciated the parties for breaking the deadlock and commended the work of Justice Dhulia. Justice Pardiwala expressed hope that the authorities would continue to engage in dialogue to resolve issues in the future.
The court noted that this instance highlights how timely intervention can protect citizens' rights. The Supreme Court has kept all questions of law arising from the dispute open for future adjudication. The court previously stated it would intervene if the Chief Minister and Governor couldn't reach a consensus.
Notably, the Governor had previously sought the exclusion of the Chief Minister from the VC selection process, arguing that the universities didn't envision a role for the CM. The compromise was reached after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Rajendra Arlekar met, signaling a thaw in their relationship. The appointments of Ciza Thomas as VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Saji Gopinath as VC of Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, mark the first regular appointments in state-run universities in five years.
