Ashish J. Desai sworn in as new Chief Justice of Kerala HC
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office to Desai at a solemn function in the Raj Bhavan- the official residence of Khan.
With the LDF government in Kerala initiating a move to appoint a Vice Chancellor for the Malayalam University on its own and requesting the Governor to provide Chancellor’s nominee to the Search Committee, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has questioned the move asking under which law the government decides to constitute the Search Committee.
In a letter to the Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, Governor Khan asked the government based on which law it decided to constitute a Search Committee to select the Vice Chancellor for the Malayalam University in the state.
“Based on what law, the government decided to appoint the Search Committee. How can the government ask the Raj Bhavan to nominate a member to such a panel,” the Governor asked.The letter was written by the Raj Bhavan Secretary as per the direction of the Governor.
Though the state Assembly has earlier passed a bill, curtailing the powers of the Governor as Chancellor of the universities in the state, the bill has not become law,as the Governor has not signed it.
As per the present law, a three-member Search Committee for the selection of Vice Chancellor is to be appointed by the Governor in his capacity as the Chancellor.
The Principal Secretary, Higher Education, had earlier written to the Governor to provide a member to the Search Committee for the selection of Vice Chancellor
It was in this circumstance that the Governor has questioned the legality of the government’s move to appoint a search committee for the selection of a Vice Chancellor in Malayalam University in the state.
The bill passed by the Assembly envisages a five member search committee for the selection of Vice Chancellors in the Universities in the state. As the Governor has not approved the bill, it has not become a law.
Hence, the law which empowers the Governor as the Chancellor to appoint a three-member Search Committee to select the Vice Chancellor is still in force.
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