Kerala Governor reappoints temporary Vice Chancellors after Supreme Court approval

In yet another flashpoint between the Kerala Governor and the state government, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has appointed two temporary Vice Chancellors (VCs) while the state’s recommendations for permanent VCs remain pending before him.

Dr Ciza Thomas has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, and Dr K Shivaprasad will serve as the VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University.

According to the Raj Bhavan, the appointments were made in compliance with a recent Supreme Court directive. The top court had permitted the appointment of temporary VCs following an appeal by the Chancellor against the Kerala High Court verdict, which had previously quashed such appointments in the two universities.

The Supreme Court clarified that temporary appointments can continue until permanent VCs are in place, but their tenure must not exceed six months. The court also urged the state of Kerala to formulate a mechanism for appointing permanent VCs and called for full cooperation from the Chancellor in the process.

The court further acknowledged that appointing permanent VCs would take time. During the interim period, it stated that the Chancellor could either appoint someone new or permit the existing temporary VCs to continue, in line with the respective Acts governing the two universities.

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