THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the cabinet meeting deciding to move ahead on the ordinance to remove the Governor from the post of chancellor, Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan is preparing to retaliate by sending it to the President without signing it.

The plan was to call a special assembly session on December 5 and introduce the draft bill to remove the chancellor post. The decision for the ordinance has been taken following a political stance of immediate action. But the ordinance and the bill are likely to stall. This is because a replacement bill cannot be introduced in the assembly until the President takes a final decision on the ordinance. The government sources say that the ordinance is seen as a political message against the Governor. Opposition and BJP have come out against the ordinance.

The apparent objective of the ordinance is to appoint eminent persons in the respective fields as chancellors. The rule of all the 14 universities of the state is that 'the governor shall also be the chancellor by virtue of his title'. This section should be amended in every university act. The cabinet has approved the ordinance proposing it.

Although several suggestions came up like Chief Minister or cabinet ministers should be the chancellor, the CM rejected them all. He held discussions with other parties in the front including CPI before the cabinet meeting. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan explained in the Cabinet meeting that the decision was taken following the Punchi Commission proposal that the governor should be exempted from holding the post of chancellor.

More than one chancellor, appointment by cabinet

Chancellors will be appointed with the approval of the Cabinet. This will be an honorary position. There will be no salary or other remuneration conditions. But separate office and staff will be allowed. The chancellor of the universities like Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi, Calicut, Kannur, Malayalam and Sanskrit dealing with similar subjects will be the same person. At the same time, technical, digital, health, veterinary, fisheries and agriculture universities will have chancellors who are experts in respective fields.

Protocol issue

At present the Pro Chancellors of various universities are the Ministers of their respective departments. The Pro Chancellor post is under the Chancellor. Ministers have raised doubts as to whether it would a protocol issue for ministers to be under the chancellor who is a government representative. The Chief Minister replied that he would clarify this when the bill is introduced.