THRISSUR: Higher Education Minister R Bindu said in a press conference that he cannot reveal who constituted the appeal committee regarding the appointment of principals in government colleges.

The Appellate Committee was constituted in Collegiate Education, but it has not been communicated to the minister's office and it is not known who formed it. Legal experts should be consulted to determine its legality. The minister did not give a clear answer to the question of whether action will be taken against the officials who formed the appeal committee, which is not legal. As a minister, many complaints are received and based on those, only the ones that came to the minister were considered. Grievances relating to the appointment of principals are pending before the Tribunal and the Court. Therefore, the department cannot take a final decision on this matter. The decision will be made based on legal advice including cases before the Administrative Tribunal. The final list is not ready.

No illegal interference has been done. Initially, a list of 67 candidates was prepared for 55 vacancies. The selection committee's analysis reduced the list to 43, citing technical reasons. Efforts were made to resolve the complaints. The UGC chair list came out in 2019 and names were dropped from the list due to a decision not to consider previous publications. The list was further shortened to 43 people. Those who were left out came forward with complaints. Instead of rejecting the list of 43 people, the committee was asked to look into the complaints.

The decision is subject to government approval, as the process of appointing principals is carried out by the DPC. The DPC checks only the seniority list and confidential reports. However, seniority is not the only criterion for making appointments; the UGC's select list is also taken into consideration.