Dr Bijoy Nandan to assume charge as VC of Kannur University

KANNUR: Dr Bijoy Nandan will take charge as the vice-chancellor of Kannur University. The Raj Bhavan will issue a new order in this regard. Bijoy Nandan is the Dean of the Department of Marine Biology in CUSAT. Bijoy was appointed to the post after the Supreme Court annulled the appointment of Dr Gopinath Ravindran as the VC of the university.

The Supreme Court had yesterday annulled Gopinath Ravindran's controversial re-appointment with severe criticism. This was a blow to both the government and the Governor, also the chancellor. The Supreme Court exposed both the unnecessary pressure of the government to protect the interest and the failure of the governor who forgot his post and yielded to it.

The court clearly stated that the chancellor is the supreme authority of the university. This is a warning to stop the political interference which is highly tainted in Kerala's higher education sector. Due to the government-governor tussle, the appointment of VCs in eight universities has been stalled for over a year. The government’s constant pressure on the chancellor is behind the act, said the court.

Meantime, Gopinath Ravindran responded that he accepts the Supreme Court verdict. He told media that he will not file a review plea and will soon join work in Delhi. His explanation was that he does not feel anything wrong in the reappointment and that he was not reappointed as per his request.