Kerala High Court: VC appointment disputes affecting education

Thiruvananthapuram: The division bench headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court has strongly criticised the absence of permanent vice-chancellors in 12 out of the 13 universities in the state.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji said that this plight is unjustifiable.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji remarked, “It is a matter of serious concern that twelve out of thirteen universities in Kerala are currently functioning without regularly appointed Vice-Chancellors and that petitions are being filed in this court at nearly every stage of the appointment process and even over temporary arrangements. This situation risks weakening the quality of higher education in the State. We sincerely hope that appropriate steps are taken without delay to resolve the issues.”

This observation was made in the judgment on a petition challenging the temporary appointment of Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kerala by the Governor, who is also the Chancellor. Dr. Mohanan is the VC of the Kerala University of Health Sciences. The plea argued that Kunnummal lacked the qualifications to become the VC of Kerala University.

The court observed that there is a difference between 'appointment' and 'management'. Here, it is not a 'permanent appointment' but a temporary administrative arrangement. Therefore, the court also observed that there is no need to look at the eligibility criteria for appointment.

The court also mentioned the long-standing legal disputes between the Vice Chancellor and the situations of conflict with the Governor.