Thiruvananthapuram:
A fresh row has erupted in Kerala between the Pinarayi Vijayan government and Governor Arif Mohammad Khan over the appointment of Vice Chancellors in nine universities. The matter was heard by the High Court this evening.
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At a special sitting on Diwali evening, the Kerala High Court heard petitions challenging Governor Arif Mohammad Khan's controversial order, issued on Sunday evening. The court said the under the Governor's show-cause notice, the Vice-Chancellors can continue till he issues a final order.
The Governor had initially asked the Vice Chancellors – appointed independently by the Kerala government -- to quit by 11.30 this morning. But after they petitioned the High Court, he issued them a notice.
The Vice Chancellors have to "show cause by 5 pm on or before Nov 3, their legal right to continue in office", the Governor has said. In absence of a response, their appointment will be considered "illegal and void", the Raj Bhavan has said.
Citing a Supreme Court order, the Governor, who is the Chancellor of the nine universities, has argued that said the state government has no authority to appoint Vice Chancellors of universities. The appointments are contrary to the rules of the University Grants Commission and are "bad in law", he contended.
To remove the "anomaly" and "initiate steps for making proper appointments," the Vice Chancellors were asked to resign, the Raj Bhavan said.
"Since you have refused to tender your resignation.... there is no option but to declare your appointment as illegal and void ab initio," read a letter tweeted by the official handle of the Raj Bhavan.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused Mr Khan of "waging war" with an intention to "destroy" the universities in the state. The Governor, he said, is acting as the spearhead of the right wing. Workers of the ruling Left Democratic Front held massive protests across the state earlier today.
Calling the Governor's order "arbitrary, illegal and politically motivated", CPM's Sitaram Yechury said, "They want to appoint RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the BJP) workers there and control the higher education system so that they are able to propagate Hindutva ideology in educational institutions".
The Governor's order has come for Vice-Chancellors of the University of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kannur University, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, University of Calicut and Thunachath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University.
The Left-led government of Pinarayi Vijayan has been at loggerheads with the Governor since he was appointed in 2019. The clashes have encompassed a range of issues, from Citizenship Amendment Act to the farm laws.
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