Kerala Assembly Passes Bill To Remove Governor As Chancellor Of Universities

The Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill to remove Governor as the Chancellor of eight state universities.

The University Laws (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2022 seeks to amend eight Acts relating to different universities to remove Governor as the ex-officio Chancellor of the Universities and to empower the State Government to appoint a Chancellor.

"The Government shall appoint an academician of high repute or a person of eminence in any of the field of science including agriculture and veterinary science, technology, medicine, social science, humanities, literature, art, culture, law or public administration as the Chancellor of the University", states the bill.

The Chancellor so appointed shall have a term of 5 years and is eligible for re-appointment. The Government will also have powers to remove the Chancellor on charges of grave misconduct or any other good and sufficient reasons.

It is worthwhile to note that the bill has been passed amidst the ongoing friction between the State Government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over various issues, including the selection of Vice Chancellors of universities. The bill requires the assent of the Governor to come into effect.

Kerala High Court Allows VCs Of Universities To Continue Till Governor Passes Final Order Against Them After Show Cause Notice

The bill tabled by Law Minister P Rajeeve amends the following Acts : (i) the Kerala Agricultural University Act, 1971, (ii) the Kerala University Act, 1974, (iii) the Calicut University Act, 1975, (iv) the Mahatma Gandhi University Act, 1985, (v) the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit Act, 1994, (vi) the Kannur University Act, 1996, (vii) the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Act, 2010, and (viii) the Kerala University of Health Sciences Act, 2010.

The bill was passed in the absence of the opposition, as they walked out raising a demand that a retired judge should be appointed as the Chancellor. The opposition also demanded that the selection panel should comprise the Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and the Kerala High Court Chief Justice.