Thiruvananthapuram: Yuva Morcha State President CR Praphul Krishnan said that Higher Education Minister R Bindu is not fit to continue in her post. The state government should understand the reference in the court judgement that there was undue interference in the appointment of Vice Chancellor. He added that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who pressured the Governor, should resign on the grounds of morality.
Praphul Krishnan said that there is a need for purification in the higher education sector of the state and let the Supreme Court verdict be the beginning of it. He pointed out that universities are a platform for left-wing politicization and backdoor appointments. The Yuva Morcha State President demanded that the Chief Minister clarify who was interested in reappointing Gopinath Ravindran.
It is a heavy blow to the state government, when the Supreme Court has quashed the re-appointment of Dr Gopinath Ravindran as Kannur VC, stated Yuva Morcha. The Kerala government’s re-appointment of Kannur University Vice Chancellor Dr. Gopinath Ravindran has been quashed (invalidated) by the Supreme Court. The verdict was pronounced by a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. The Chief Justice raised concerns about re-appointing someone over 60 years old as VC citing UGC regulations.
The re-appointment by the Kerala government faced significant protests. Dr. Gopinath Ravindran was re-appointed as the VC of Kannur University for four years on November 23, 2021, following the Kerala government’s recommendation. The Kerala High Court had earlier agreed the appointment on December 15, 2021, after petitioners contested it, leading them to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court issued notices to the Kerala state government, Governor, Kannur University, and the VC regarding the petition against the re-appointment. In response, Dr. Gopinath Ravindran submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that his reappointment followed UGC rules.
However, during the final trial, the Court highlighted a notification from Kannur University for VC applications. The notification stated that applicants should not have surpassed 60 years of age as of the notification date, as per Section 10 of the UGC Act, 1996.
Discussion about this post