The Kerala Assembly on Thursday, September 1, passed the contentious University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022, which would result in curtailing the powers of the Governor as Chancellor of state universities. The Bill also clips the powers of the Governor in appointing Vice Chancellors to universities. The opposition Congress-UDF boycotted the House proceedings before voting alleging that the government was trying to appoint "puppets" of the ruling party in key posts in varsities.
Announcing their boycott, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly VD Satheesan said the Bill was an "insult" to the higher education sector of the state. The Bill would affect the autonomy of the universities and would set a wrong precedent in the higher education sector, he alleged, before walking out of the hall. However, Higher Education Minister R Bindu claimed that the opposition and media's propaganda that the Bill would strip the powers of the Governor was wrong.
The government has said that the changes being made in the provisions regulating the appointments were that instead of a three-member committee, it would be five, and the committee would select by majority a list of three candidates for appointment and the Chancellor has to appoint one from the list as V-C within 30 days of receiving it.
The Bill was passed at a time when the ruling CPI(M) is facing nepotism charges from opposition parties in connection with the faculty appointment in many universities in the state. The new Bill would restrict the authority of the Governor, who holds the position of Chancellor, in appointing Vice Chancellors (VCs) of universities.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the CPI(M)-led LDF government have been at loggerheads for some time on various issues including on the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University. Khan, in his capacity as Chancellor, had stayed the appointment of Malayalam associate professor in the same university, for the interview in which Priya Varghese, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's private secretary KK Ragesh's wife, was given the first rank.
Earlier this week, the Kerala Assembly also passed the contentious Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to make the executive the appellate authority over reports by the Lok Ayukta, even as Congress-UDF boycotted the proceedings before the voting.
With PTI inputs