Verdict in Kannur VC case is not a setback to govt, no external pressure, says CM

PALAKKAD: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Supreme Court verdict sacking Kannur vice-chancellor, is not against the state government. There is no basis for such propaganda, he said in the press meet held in Palakkad as part of the Nava Kerala Sadas.

“The Supreme Court had upheld the high court verdict that the re-appointment of Gopinath Ravindran was in accordance with the rules. The Supreme Court rejected the governor's claim that the appointment was against UGC rules. The court said there is no technical error in the appointment. The judgment contains remarks against the governor. The governor who appointed the VC himself said the re-appointment is not in accordance with the rules. He tried to say that there was external pressure which was not there. The governor said the letter written by the pro chancellor to the chancellor is external pressure. Is the Governor's statement after the verdict due to influence,” asked the chief minister.

Dr Gopinath Ravindran excelled in academics. Some external forces wanted to oust him. They put pressure on the person in the administrative position, said the chief minister.

Meantime, 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.

Meantime, Gopinath Ravindran's response was that he accepts the Supreme Court verdict. He told the media that he will not file a review plea and will soon join work in Delhi. His explanation was that he did not feel anything wrong in the re-appointment and that it was not against his request.