Right-wing outfit appeals Kerala govt not to remove Governor as Chancellor
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A prominent Sangh Parivar outfit has urged the Kerala government to review its decision to remove Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as the Chancellor of universities in the state, and sought the intervention of Union Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC) in this regard.
Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram (BVK), in a recent resolution, said the higher education sector of the state has been "ruined due to the political interventions" of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
Deliberate attempts are underway to subvert the university and UGC criteria and statutory provisions for making appointments with political interests and nepotism to the posts of vice chancellors and academicians, it alleged.
The outfit's resolution was adopted at the recent annual state meet of BVK.
The resolution alleged that the University Laws (Amendment) Bill, recently passed by the state Assembly to remove the Governor as Chancellor and appoint eminent academicians in the top post, would destroy the autonomous powers of the varsities and turn them into mere government departments.
The BVK conference urged the government to withdraw from its alleged attempts to make universities as its political tools.
"The conference also sought the intervention of the Union Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission to persuade the state government to withdraw from this legislation which will erode the autonomous stature and freedom of the universities and destroy the quality standards of the higher education sector in the state," a BVK statement added.
The Kerala Assembly, on December 13, had passed the contentious University Laws (Amendment) Bill to replace the Governor as the Chancellor of universities in the State and appoint eminent academicians in the top post.
The Bill, which had undergone scrutiny by a Subject Committee of the House, 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.
The Bill has been sent to Raj Bhavan for the Governor's assent.
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Udupi: Two men from Belthangady awarded life imprisonment for attempt to murder a woman in 2022
Udupi: Two men from Belthangady have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Udupi for attempting to murder a woman in Manchikumeri in 2022.
The sentenced men, Mithun and Nagesh Poojary, are learned to have attempted to murder Sumathi, wife of Ramanath Rai, a resident of Manchikumeri, who had a Nandini Milk Parlour at Tiger Circle, Manipal.
On February 18, 2022, Sumathi was reportedly alone at home when, at around 7 pm, Mithun, learned to be her nephew, and his friend Poojary came to the house. As Sumathi opened the door, the duo barged in and tried to strangulate her with an intention of murdering her. Sumathi reportedly lost consciousness under the attack.
The men packed her body in a sack and were then putting the sack into a suitcase to carry the body out, when they noticed that Rai and neighbours had arrived. They are learned to have opened the door when Rai knocked the door and then tried to escape. They were, however, caught by the neighbours and handed over to the police.
Further, Sumathi was found by the group in an unconscious state inside the suitcase in the house. She was rushed to the Manipal Hospital and learned to have recovered after a week of medical treatment.
A case had been registered at the Manipal Police Station.
The Udupi Principal District and Sessions Court judge Kiran S Gangannavar, who heard the case, has declared both Mithun and Poojary guilty in the case. He has awarded them life imprisonment, fined them Rs 20,000 each and, under Column 325, sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment of 5 years and fined them Rs 5,000 each.
Judge Gangannavar has directed that, of the fine, Rs 45,000 be handed to the attack victim Sumathi as relief.
Jayarama Shetty represented the government as Public Prosecutor.
