In a significant development, the prolonged standoff between the Kerala government and the state's Governor over the appointment of Vice-Chancellors for two universities has finally been resolved. The Supreme Court of India on Thursday expressed its satisfaction after both authorities informed the bench that they had reached a consensus on the names for the crucial academic positions.
Supreme Court's Intervention and Committee Formation
The deadlock between the Raj Bhavan and the state secretariat had completely stalled the appointment process for the two state universities. Observing the impasse, the Supreme Court decided to step in and appointed a committee to break the logjam. The panel was headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia. This move came after both Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who acts as the chancellor of state universities, gave their consent for the formation of this independent committee.
However, the dispute flared up again when the two functionaries failed to agree on selecting two names from a list of nine candidates recommended by the Justice Dhulia-led committee. Following this, the apex court directed the panel to rank the suggested names in an order of preference to facilitate the final decision.
A Consensus Reached and Judicial Appreciation
When the matter was heard on Thursday, Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Governor, informed the Supreme Court bench that a consensus had finally been achieved. Both sides had agreed on who should be appointed as the Vice-Chancellors for the two universities from the empanelled list.
The bench, recording the development, stated: "We are happy to record that the chancellor and government, in one voice, reported that appointment of VC in two universities have been made from the empanelled list." The court placed on record its gratitude to the office of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia for his committee's work.
The judges emphasized that their primary endeavour was to ensure the institutions get permanent leadership, which is fundamental to safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders, especially students. The bench also appreciated the authorities involved for acting in the true spirit of the Constitution, particularly Article 144, which mandates that all civil and judicial authorities in India must act in aid of the Supreme Court.
A Hopeful Note for Future Cooperation
In an interesting post-script, after the court's order was dictated, Attorney General Venkataramani added that it was the Kerala Governor who had taken the initiative by inviting the Chief Minister for discussions, which ultimately led to the consensus. Responding to this, the Supreme Court bench expressed a hopeful sentiment for continued dialogue.
The judges remarked, "I hope they keep talking like this, over a mug of coffee, for the larger interest of the people." This statement underscores the court's desire for harmonious and collaborative functioning between constitutional authorities, setting aside differences to serve the public interest.
The resolution of this high-profile tussle is seen as a major step towards stabilizing the administrative framework of higher education in Kerala. It ensures that the universities can now function with full-time, appointed leadership, ending a period of uncertainty that affected academic and administrative operations.
