New Delhi: The process of appointing permanent vice-chancellors for Kerala’s technical and digital universities has taken a step forward, with the list of UGC representatives finalised for inclusion in the search committee.

Attorney General R Venkataramani informed the Supreme Court that he had recently held a telephone discussion with the UGC Chairman, who has now prepared a list of members. However, the Attorney General did not disclose the names during the court proceedings.

Governor’s recommendations under review

The Attorney General further stated that the Kerala Governor, who serves as Chancellor of state universities, has submitted a separate list comprising 10 candidates, including senior faculty members from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). These individuals have been recommended to serve on the vice-chancellor search committee.

However, he noted that formal consent from those individuals is still pending and requested additional time to complete the necessary confirmation. Taking this into account, the Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, agreed to adjourn the matter to Monday.

Supreme Court asks for names to be shared

During the hearing, Standing Counsel C K Sasi, representing the Kerala state government, informed the court that it had also prepared a list of 10 names for the search panel. In response, the Supreme Court directed that the state’s list be submitted to the Attorney General for review.

The bench remarked that if there is overlap between the state government’s and Governor’s lists, those individuals may be directly considered for appointment to the search committee.