Amid the ongoing tussle between Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the Pinarayi Vijayan government over the appointment of vice-chancellors in state-run universities, the Kerala High Court on Monday cancelled the appointment of Dr K Riji John as the V-C of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS). Notably, he was one of the 10 V-Cs who was asked to step down by Khan for violating University Grants Commission (UGC) norms in accordance with a latest Supreme Court judgement.
Chief Justice S Manikumar-led division bench S Manikumar was hearing a petition filed against Dr John’s appointment as V-C by KK Vijayan and others. In the petition, Vijayan had opposed Dr John’s appointment as he claimed that it was in violation to the existing UGC guidelines. In its order, the HC directed the selection committee to be constituted as per UGC norms. The Kerala Governor, who is also the KUFOS chancellor, is the first respondent.
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The development comes after the Governor’s move to issue show-cause notice to the 10 V-Cs asking them to reply as to why their appointments shouldn’t be cancelled was challenged before the Kerala HC. The Governor’s move against the V-Cs came after an October 21 verdict that had asked Dr M S Rajasree to step down as the V-C of A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University after the SC declared Dr Rajasree’s appointment to be null and void ab initio and in violation to the UGC norms. The SC observed that instead of three names, only one name was recommended to the Chancellor by the search committee.
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Following the SC’s verdict, Governor Khan had initially asked 10 V-Cs, including Dr John, to step down but later handed them a show-cause notice. In an interim relief to the V-Cs, the HC had allowed them to continue in their posts till the time the Governor finally decided on the matter.