Kannur VC: Govt-governor war now in High Court

KOCHI: Although the Lokayukta gave a clean chit to Minister R Bindu for submitting a letter to the Governor to re-appoint Dr Gopinath Raveendran as the VC of Kannur, the legality of the re-appointment will be considered by the High Court division bench 8.

According to the governor, the appointment was initiated by the Chief Minister and Minister Bindu and he was pressured to issue an illegal order. However, the government is of the view that there was nothing wrong with reappointment and that the appointment was made by the Chancellor.

The Lokayukta did not consider whether the re-appointment was legal or not. It considered the petition which alleged that Minister Bindu's letters were nepotistic and corrupt.

The governor stated in a statement that he had repeatedly asked the government whether it was legal to cancel the search committee and re-appoint the current VC. He also stated that he was forced to issue the order following the constant intervention from the Higher Education Minister, the Chief Minister's Officer on Special Duty and the Chief Minister's Legal Adviser. The governor was also shown the legal advice of the Advocate General. The government will be on the defensive if this statement is presented before the court.

As per University law, re-appointments can be made. However, the age should not exceed 60 years. There is no age limit in UGC law. But there is no provision for reappointment. However, the AG's legal advice was that the University law does not apply as the age limit of 60 was against the UGC norms.

The position of the governor will be decisive in court. Earlier, the court said that it needed to know the chancellor's position on the case and not the position of the government or the university. With the Advocate General informing that he will not be appearing for the governor, the governor appointed a special counsel. The AG will be appearing for the government.