Kerala is witnessing the spectacle of a Governor who is out of control. One day he is demanding the resignation of all the vice-chancellors of Kerala universities and on another day he ‘withdraws pleasure’ from a minister in the Government and asks the chief minister to remove him from the cabinet. Utilising a Supreme Court verdict that struck down the appointment of the vice-chancellor of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, acting as the chancellor, demanded that the vice-chancellors of nine state universities resign from their positions by 11.30 am on October 25. The letter requesting this was sent on October 24. Eight vice-chancellors refused to resign and went to the High Court against the move by the Governor. The ninth VC was the one removed by the Supreme Court verdict. Just before their petition was to be heard in court, the Governor backtracked and sent a show cause notice to the vice-chancellors to respond by November 3 as to why they should not be removed from their posts due to irregularities in the process of appointment. Subsequently, the Governor has sent a similar show cause notice to two more vice-chancellors.
This latest action by the Governor comes in the wake of a series of egregious moves in the recent past. Earlier, the Governor had questioned the reappointment of the vice chancellor of Kannur University after having signed his appointment order. This appointment, which was challenged, was upheld by the Kerala High Court. More recently, the Governor has been battling against the Kerala University vice chancellor and the senate. He sought to bypass the provisions of the Act regarding the nature of the search committee to select a person for the post of vice chancellor which was falling vacant. When the senate resisted such illegal methods, fifteen members of the senate were arbitrarily removed from membership of the Senate. In the current movement against the vice-chancellors, it must be noted that all of them were appointed vice-chancellors by the Governor in his capacity as chancellor of these universities. Under the statutes governing these universities, the chancellor cannot remove a person from the post of vice-chancellor of his own accord. For instance, the statutes of these universities provide that a vice chancellor can be proceeded against for financial misappropriation or misbehaviour. An inquiry has to be conducted by a judge of the High Court into such charges. Therefore, the threat of dismissal of vice-chancellors by the governor is illegal and violates the statutes.
What exactly is the motive behind Governor Khan’s actions? He argues that he is taking steps to protect the autonomy of the universities and to prevent the nominees of the ruling party from being made vice-chancellors. This is only a camouflage for intervening in the state universities to advance the agenda of the RSS and the BJP. The misuse of the post of chancellor by Governor Khan is not an isolated issue. In many opposition-ruled States, the Governors have been interfering in the affairs of state universities and creating hurdles in the appointment of vice-chancellors and key personnel. The latest instance of this is in Punjab. The struggle against the Governor interfering in higher educational institutions in Kerala is important. What the Governor is doing is part of the centralised drive to impose the RSS agenda for higher education in the country. The arbitrary measures of the Governor will be fought legally and politically. The Left Democratic Front in Kerala has called for a people’s march to Raj Bhawan on November 15. A campaign is underway to expose the manoeuvre to undermine the secular-democratic character of the higher education system in Kerala.
