Kerala Assembly passes Bill for removing Governor as the Chancellor of universities
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed the University Laws (Amendment) Bill to replace the Governor as the Chancellor of universities in the state and appoint eminent academicians in the top post, while the opposition UDF boycotted the House for not accepting its suggestions regarding the bill.
"The bill is passed," Speaker A N Shamseer said.
The bill was passed after hours long discussions during which the Congress-led UDF said it was not opposed to the removal of the Governor as Chancellor, but he should be selected from amongst retired Supreme Court judges and former Kerala High Court chief justices.
The opposition also said there need not be different Chancellors for each of the universities and that the selection panel should comprise the Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and the Kerala High Court Chief Justice.
However, state Law Minister P Rajeeve said that a judge cannot be a part of the selection panel and the Speaker would be a better option.
The minister also said being retired judges cannot be the sole option for being appointed at the helm of universities.
In view of the stand taken by the government, the opposition said it was boycotting the House proceedings as it feared that the state government was attempting to turn universities in Kerala into Communist or Marxist centres by appointing their favourites at the helm.
The bill was introduced in the House amidst the continuing tussle between Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the Pinarayi Vijayan government over various issues, including the appointment of Vice-Chancellors of universities.
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Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
