Kerala CM rejects Governor's allegations of interference in Kannur University VC reappointment
Palakkad (Ker) (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday rejected Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's claims that the government interfered with the re-appointment of Kannur University's Vice Chancellor.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court criticised Khan's order reappointing Gopinath Ravindran, stating that the Governor had previously "abdicated or surrendered" his statutory powers for reappointing the VC.
The court, while quashing the reappointment, also criticised the Left government for its "unwarranted intervention" in the matter.
Talking to media in Shoranur in this north Kerala district, Vijayan dismissed news reports suggesting that the Supreme Court's verdict was a setback for the Kerala government, and termed them baseless.
He clarified that the apex court had affirmed that due process was followed in the reappointment. Despite this, the governor continued to claim in the media that there was external pressure, Vijayan added.
"The letter written by the ex-officio pro-chancellor -- the higher education minister -- was considered as unwarranted intervention of the state government. How can a correspondence between two authorities under the same law be considered external pressure," Vijayan asked, rejecting the governor's claim.
He said the apex court dealt with three legal issues, the first being whether re-appointment is permissible in a "tenure post", to which the court said yes.
"It held that the outer age limit of 60 years, provided for under the 1996 Act of the University, will not apply in case of the reappointment of a VC.
The apex court also said it was not necessary to follow the procedure of appointment as laid down in Section 10 of the 1996 Act for the purpose of reappointment," Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister claimed that the legal advice from the Advocate General was received by the higher education minister's office and handed over to Raj Bhavan.
"The chancellor sought clarification, and the CM's office gave it to the governor. He considers it external interference," Vijayan said.
He reiterated that the state government has not interfered in the authority of the Governor as Chancellor in any way.
Soon after the verdict was pronounced on Thursday, Khan had blamed Chief Minister Vijayan for having pressured him to reappoint the VC.
Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Khan also said that Minister R Bindu was not to be blamed, as the CM had used her to seek the reappointment of Ravindran.
The apex court had also said it is the Chancellor who is conferred with competence under law to appoint or reappoint VCs. "No other person, even the pro-chancellor or any superior authority can interfere with the functioning of the statutory authority," it had held.
Following the verdict, Khan said that a person claiming to be the personal law advisor of the CM had visited him along with Vijayan's OSD (Officer on Special Duty) and urged him not to follow the normal process of appointing the VC of Kannur University at the time.
He had further claimed that the two had later come with a letter from Higher Education Minister Bindu and a legal opinion of the Advocate General of Kerala for "scuttling" the regular appointment process and reappointing Ravindran as VC.
A division bench of the Kerala High Court had on February 23 last year dismissed an appeal against a single-judge order upholding the reappointment of Ravindran, saying it was done in accordance with the law and that he was not "a usurper of the post".
The top court set aside the impugned judgment and the order passed by the high court dated February 23, 2022 and, as a consequence, the notification dated November 23, 2021 reappointing Ravindran as vice chancellor of Kannur University was also set aside.
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Rahul Gandhi joins Haryana Congress leader's 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram
Gurugram (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined the 'Sadbhav Yatra' of Haryana Congress leader Brijendra Singh here.
Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reached Gurugram in the evening and joined the yatra. He also walked some distance with Brijendra, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and other leaders.
Huge crowds had turned up for the occasion.
Later, Gandhi proceeded to the venue where he addressed a public gathering.
Leader of Opposition in Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other Congress leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, B K Hariprasad, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh, were also present.
Brijendra Singh had on Thursday said it is a matter of joy for them that Gandhi was joining the 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram-Badshahpur, "thereby strengthening the Indian National Congress' campaign for brotherhood and harmony".
The 'Sadbhav Yatra' began from Danoda village at Narwana in Jind on October 5, 2025, and has covered 85 of the 90 assembly segments in the state.
The foot march was started by Brijendra Singh, son of Congress veteran Birender Singh, to highlight several national and regional issues.
State Congress chief Rao Narender Singh had asked all party leaders to take part in Friday's event.
Days before his yatra began in October, Brijendra Singh, who narrowly lost the 2024 assembly polls from Jind's Uchana Kalan, accused the ruling BJP of playing "divisive politics" and said that "sadbhav" (harmony) has come under stress in the last decade.
Brijendra Singh was a sitting MP from Hisar for the BJP when he resigned ahead of the 2024 general election and switched over to the Congress. He also alleged that the saffron party creates a wedge in society to achieve its political purpose.
The 'padyatra' has so far covered 85 assembly constituencies in Haryana, traversing more than 2,700 kilometres.
Addressing the public gathering, Brijendra Singh said the yatra is inspired by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he took the party's vision and values directly to the people of the country.
Singh said the yatra has highlighted issues like "Vote Chori" (vote theft), unemployment, poor law and order situation, agrarian distress, and issues related to government employees, labourers and traders.
"Sadbhav (harmony) and bhaichara (brotherhood), which the BJP is attempting to weaken, are the messages of this yatra," he said, adding that its slogan is "Congress ka haath bhaichara ka saath".
"This yatra is a natural extension of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Brijendra Singh said.
