The Supreme Court on Monday intervened to resolve the ongoing standoff between the Kerala government and former governor Arif Mohammed Khan over vice-chancellor (VC) appointments, appointing retired judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia as chairperson of the search-cum-selection committee for two universities in the state.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan observed, “We firmly believe that this impasse should be resolved at the earliest,” while entrusting Justice Dhulia with the responsibility of steering the process.
Committee Structure and Mandate
Justice Dhulia will head a five-member panel, which may be either common for both institutions — APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and the University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology — or separate, at his discretion. The committees will include two nominees each from the governor, in his capacity as chancellor, and the state government. The final composition, however, will rest with Justice Dhulia.
The committees have been tasked with preparing a panel of at least three names, arranged alphabetically, for each university’s vice-chancellor post. Justice Dhulia has been asked to constitute the panel within two weeks.
The court also directed the Kerala Higher Education Department to issue advertisements inviting applications within four weeks, with a week allotted for scrutiny. Applications will then be forwarded to Justice Dhulia for shortlisting, and the committee is expected to complete its work within a month thereafter.
Facilities for Justice Dhulia
To facilitate his role, Justice Dhulia will be paid an honorarium of ₹3 lakh per sitting and provided with office space, secretarial assistance, an official vehicle, and accommodation in Thiruvananthapuram.
Larger Dispute Deferred
The bench clarified that the wider constitutional and legal issues surrounding the powers of the governor and state government in VC appointments will be addressed separately, after the present exercise concludes.
The order came on a petition filed by the governor challenging a Kerala High Court ruling that upheld the state government’s power to recommend temporary vice-chancellors. In response, the state had also contested a notification by the governor appointing Dr. K. Sivaprasad as interim VC of KTU. Attorney General R. Venkataramani represented the governor, while senior advocate Jaideep Gupta appeared for the state.
Background of the Dispute
The controversy began with the governor’s November 27, 2024 notification on VC appointments, opposed strongly by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. On July 14 this year, the Kerala High Court struck down the governor’s order, prompting the current litigation. On July 30, the Supreme Court had expressed displeasure at the stalemate and urged both sides to prioritise students’ interests over political differences.
Wider Context
Kerala is not the only state facing such friction. In West Bengal, the Supreme Court earlier appointed former Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit to head VC selection committees after the state government alleged prolonged inaction by the Raj Bhavan. That exercise has already resulted in 34 appointments across 36 universities.
