Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan removed 15 of the 17 members from the governing body of the Kerala University Senate on Saturday, October 15 as they “failed to discharge their duties and responsibilities”. This is the latest development in the continuing stand-off between the Governor and the state government.
The Governor directed that the 15 members of the senate shall cease to continue in that position. “I being the Chancellor of the University of Kerala had nominated the Members to the Senate of the University, in exercise of the powers vested on me. Now having been satisfied with the situation that the members failed to discharge their duties and responsibilities as a Member in the Senate of the University, I hereby withdraw my pleasure from allowing them to continue as Members in the Senate of the University with immediate effect. They shall cease to be Members of the Senate of the University with immediate effect,” read the Governor’s order.
The order came days after a majority of the Senate members, including the 15 nominees, abstained from a meeting called to propose a member on the search-cum-selection committee for the next Vice Chancellor. The members who have been removed are nominees of the government. Of this, two members – G Muralidharan Pillai and B Balachandran – have lost their membership in the Syndicate due to the decision while those who ceased to be Senate members for having "failed to discharge their duties and responsibilities” include four department heads.
The two members who will continue as Senate members are nominees of the Chancellor, the Hindu reported. Vinodkumar TG Nair and AM Unnikrishnan had turned up for the meeting on October 11. The meeting, however, was cancelled due to a lack of the minimum quorum of 21 members.
On September 1, the Kerala Assembly passed the University Laws (Amendment Bill) 2022, which would in effect curtail the powers of the Governor in appointing Vice Chancellors to universities. Post this, the Governor called an unusual press meet and alleged, among other things, that the government was trying to take control of the universities.