CM directly demanded; governor turns against govt in SC verdict

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Muhammad Khan responded on the removal of Dr Gopinath Ravindran from the vice chancellor post of Kannur University. The governor said that he, as the chancellor, signed the reappointment order following pressure from the chief minister's office. He criticized the chief minister's office in harsh language.

The Governor said that when he repeatedly said that the re-appointment was illegal, the chief minister directly demanded to appoint him. He added that whether the chief minister should resign in the wake of court references is a matter of morality.

When the government raised the demand for re-appointment of Gopinath Ravindran, he pointed out that there was violation of the law in the matter. However, the government put pressure on him saying that they had the legal advice from the advocate general. The court also made remarks against the governor in the judgment removing Gopinath Ravindran from the VC post.

The court also severely criticized the governor and the state government in the verdict. The Supreme Court said the manner in appointing the vice chancellor was illegal and the re-appointment was sabotaged due to the interference of the state government and accused the governor of yielding to external forces.

University Assistant Professor Dr Premachandran Keezhoth and academic council member Shino P Jose of the English department had approached the apex court. A bench led by chief justice D Y Chandrachud while hearing the argument asked how can a person above 60 be reappointed. The government had then replied that criteria including age are not applicable for the re-appointment.

The petitioners had earlier argued that the very first appointment of the Kannur VC was against the UGC rules. In this situation, the petitioners claimed that re-appointment will not remain. However, Dr Gopinath Ravindran in the affidavit mentioned that he was reappointed following UGC rules. He explained that the age limit is not applicable for re-appointment and that he is eligible for re-appointment as he has been a VC once.