Government has no stubbornness in VC appointment issue: Minister P Rajeev

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister P. Rajeev said the government has no special interest or stubbornness regarding the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs). He told the media that discussions failed because the Chancellor took a rigid stand. He added that the Supreme Court’s order on VC appointments is welcome and that the government fully agrees with it.

"The government has no insistence on who should be appointed as VC. The only requirement is that the person must be capable of improving the university’s standards. The government tried to reach a consensus as directed by the Supreme Court. That is why the Chief Minister held discussions with the Chancellor. The Chief Minister also expressed openness to considering the Chancellor’s suggestions, and the government communicated that a consensus could be reached. The government’s position was to use the opportunity given by the Supreme Court and avoid returning to the court," the minister said.

The Supreme Court had said that the Chief Minister must prepare a priority list after reviewing the names recommended by the search committee and forward it to the Chancellor. The Chancellor must then make the appointment based on that priority. If the Chief Minister has any objections to the search committee’s panel, he can inform the Chancellor. If the Chancellor has objections to the priority order given by the Chief Minister, he may inform the court. The Chief Minister had objections to one name, and the Chancellor also disagreed with another. These differences could have been resolved mutually, as the Supreme Court had suggested.

However, the Supreme Court has now instructed the search committee to submit the priority list directly to the court.