Kerala government prepares ordinance to replace governor as varsities' chancellor
What's the story
The government of Kerala is all set to introduce a new ordinance to remove state Governor Arif Mohammad Khan from the position of Chancellor of all state-run universities. Earlier, the Kerala Governor had issued show-cause notices to vice-chancellors of 11 universities. As a result, the VCs approached the court, claiming the notice was void and illegal.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Last month, Arif Mohammad Khan had ordered the VCs of nine Kerala universities to resign in an unprecedented move. This followed the Supreme Court's recent move to revoke MS Rajasree's appointment as the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University's VC in Thiruvananthapuram. In a release, Khan alleged that the VCs appointment procedure had violated the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Report
Khan to lose his post as Chancellor of universities
The decision to remove Khan as the Chancellor of state-run universities was taken during Wednesday's Cabinet meeting chaired by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. The state government also wants to appoint an expert from the education sector as the new Chancellor. On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court asked Governor Khan not to take any steps against the vice-chancellors until the court hears the matter.
Details
What questions did Governor raise?
The office of Khan had raised questions over the appointment of the nine VCs. During the selection process, five vice-chancellors were asked to go as they were reportedly picked without panel names. Meanwhile, the rest were chosen through a process in which eminent subject experts were not part of the selection committee and were asked to resign.
Reactions
Here's how people reacted to Khan's move
The Kerala Governor's unprecedented order triggered waves in the state and surprised the Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration. Meanwhile, ex-Kerala Education Minister ET Muhammad Basheer stated that the Chancellor had surpassed his constitutional authority. However, United Democratic Front member VD Satheesan came out in support of Khan. As per The Hindu, the state government even asked the VCs to disregard Khan's directive.