KAT quashes appointments of 3 college principals

KOCHI: Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) on Friday quashed the appointments of the principals of three government law colleges, citing violations of norms set by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The violations cited in the order include the failure to appoint a selection commitee and publish a rank list of applicants based on academic qualifications.

The appointments quashed include those of Trivandrum Law College Principal Biju Kumar, Ernakulam Law College Principal Bindu, and Thrissur Law College Principal PR Jayadevan. Ernakulam Law College professor Dr Girishankar had approached KAT questioning the appointments.

The KAT order comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court (SC) order in October 2022 quashing the appointment of the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, the erstwhile Kerala Technological University (KTU) in Trivandrum, terming it bad in law and contrary to UGC regulations.

The SC had annulled the appointment of MS Rajashree as the VC.

The decision came ater the apex court found the appointment was not in accordance with the rules of the UGC.

A bench headed by Justice MR Shah observed that instead of handing over a panel of names to the chancellor to select the vice-chancellor as per the UGC rules, only one person’s name was provided.

Former Dean of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) PS Sreejith had approached the SC questioning the appointment of the KTU vice chancellor.

Close on the heels of the apex court judgement, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had issued show cause notices to nine vice chancellors of varsities in the state.

According to the governor, the SC verdict is also applicable to other vice chancellors who were appointed flouting UGC norms.

Last year, the Kerala High Court also revoked the appointment of Riji John as Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) VC for violating UGC norms. The court verdict was in line with the governor’s stance that the appointments of 11 VCS in the state universities were made violating the UGC regulations.

The petitions against the governor’s show cause notices filed by vice chancellors of Mahatma Gandhi University, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, Sreenarayanguru Open University, University of Calicut, Kannur University and Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University are pending with the HC.