The verdict has come as a stinging indictment of the brazen interferences made by the Pinarayi Vijayan government to get Ravindran reappointed as VCespecially since governor Arif Mohammed Khan himself had laid bare before the public and before the apex court the details of backstage manoeuvrings involving even the state’s top political leadership in the controversial first reappointment of a vice-chancellor in the history of Kerala.
It’s the second time the state government faced a setback from SC over the appointment of VCs. The SC had in October 2022 declared void ab initio the selection of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University former VC MS Rajasree. The apex court cancelled her appointment for flaws in her selection process.
Significantly, the apex court has in its judgement cited the press release issued by the Raj Bhavan dated October 3, 2022, refuting news reports that it was on the directions of governor Khan that the name of Ravindran was suggested for reappointment as VC.
In the release, the governor had said “the truth is that the same was initiated by the chief minister and the higher education minister”.
Khan had earlier revealed that CM Vijayan had come to the Raj Bhavan to speak on the appointment of the VC in his (CM’s) home district Kannur and that higher education minister R Bindu had written to him twice recommending the reappointment of Ravindran.
The stand taken by the governor in the court that “as the reappointment of the VC was contrary to UGC guidelines, the same deserves to be set at naught by issue of writ of quo warranto”, played a key role in the quashing of the reappointment.
Though successive state governments have mostly managed to get their nominees appointed as VCs in state universities in the past, the audacious manner in which the LDF government tried to push through the reappointment of Ravindran even after the commencement of the process for selection of a new VC, took matters to the head and led to a full-blown confrontation between chancellor Khan and the government.
Now, in a clear sign that the verdict would further intensify the row between the LDF government and the governor, and would also put the state government in the dock over attempts to politicise the higher education sector, the SC order has given rise to a mutual blame game, with LDF saying that the governor has no right to continue in the post, in view of the criticisms against him in the court order, and the UDF demanding resignation of Bindu.