The Kerala Cabinet has approved an ordinance to amend the Digital University Act, aiming to appoint a permanent Vice-Chancellor, superseding the temporary appointment made by the Governor.
Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the ongoing conflict between the Kerala government and Governor Rajendra Arlekar, the Kerala Cabinet has approved an ordinance to amend the Digital University Act. This ordinance will revise the VC appointment procedures, aligning them with UGC guidelines and recent Supreme Court rulings. The structure of the search committee will also be modified. These amendments aim to comply with the 2018 UGC regulations and recent court orders and the government has announced that it will recommend the ordinance to the Governor for promulgation.
The Cabinet approved the draft ordinance to amend sections 11(3), (4), and (6) of the Kerala Digital Science, Technology and Innovation University Act, 2021, concerning the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor. In Kerala, the Governor serves as the Chancellor of state universities, a role that traditionally includes appointing VCs. However, in recent years, the Kerala government has accused the Governor of overstepping, especially by appointing VCs unilaterally without consulting the government or following University Grants Commission (UGC) procedures. The goal is to replace the current temporary VC (appointed by the Governor) with a permanent one, selected through the revised process. However, this ordinance needs the Governor’s approval to become law, and it’s not clear if he will sign it.
Earlier in March this year, the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed the Private Universities Bill, paving the way for private universities to operate in the state. The Bill, which had undergone scrutiny by the Subject Committee, was passed amid heated debates and strong opposition concerns. Defending the Bill, Minister Bindu described it as a progressive step for Kerala’s education sector. She assured that strict regulations would be in place to maintain academic standards in private universities. However, several amendments and concerns were raised by opposition parties, particularly regarding fee structures and admission policies.
Latest Escalation in Governor vs Government
In July, Education Minister V Sivankutty skipped attending the launch of Kerala’s First Aid Education programme, where the governor was present. The minister had walked out from an event at Raj Bhavan over the display of a Bharat Mata portrait, which was alleged to be unconstitutional by the minister. The Governor-appointed University of Kerala Vice-Chancellor in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal had suspended registrar KS Anilkumar over the Raj Bhavan event under special powers of the Kerala University Act, 1974.
Following this, Student organizations affiliated with CPI(M) and Congress staged protests at Kerala University on Wednesday, accusing the Vice-Chancellor of administrative overreach. AISF held a campus protest while DYFI and AIYF demonstrated outside. Police used water cannons and arrested several activists. DYFI’s VK Sanoj slammed the VC for suspending the registrar without authority, calling it a violation of university rules.