The Supreme Court on Thursday recorded that a long-running deadlock between the Kerala governor and the state government over the appointment of vice chancellors has finally been resolved, with both sides agreeing on names for two key universities.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan was told that a consensus has been reached for appointing vice chancellors to A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University and the Kerala University of Digital Sciences. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for Governor and Chancellor Rajendra Arlekar, informed the court that the decision had been communicated to the committee led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia.
Welcoming the development, the bench underlined the urgency of filling the posts, observing that universities cannot function effectively without a vice chancellor at the helm. The court noted that both institutions had been without permanent leadership for months due to the lack of agreement between the governor and the state government.
In a detailed order, the judges reflected on the case as an example of how judicial intervention can help protect institutional interests when governance issues reach a stalemate. The court recalled that it had stepped in after being “deeply concerned” that two prominent universities were effectively left without heads because consensus between the constitutional authorities had failed.
The bench said it was satisfied that its earlier decision to appoint Justice Dhulia to recommend names had led to a resolution. It placed on record its appreciation for Justice Dhulia’s role, noting that the chancellor and the state government had now spoken “in one voice” on the appointments.
Emphasising that its objective throughout was to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders, the court also praised the authorities for acting in aid of its directions. The judges thanked the Attorney General, senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, and the legal teams involved, saying the dispute had been brought to a close “gracefully” and with a “happy ending.”
The controversy had its roots in a continuing tussle between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arlekar over the process for appointing vice chancellors. On December 11, the Supreme Court had asked a committee headed by Justice Dhulia to recommend one name each for the two universities, after observing that the impasse showed no signs of easing.
Earlier, on November 28, the court had taken strong exception to the governor not considering the Dhulia Committee’s report, stressing that it was not “just an ordinary piece of paper.” The court had also warned that it would intervene decisively if the chief minister and the governor failed to reach common ground.
The dispute escalated further on September 2, when the governor moved the Supreme Court seeking the exclusion of the chief minister from the selection process, arguing that the statutes of the two universities did not envisage any role for the head of the state government. To break the deadlock, the apex court on August 18 appointed Justice Dhulia as head of a panel to shortlist names, shortly after he retired from the Supreme Court on August 9.
With the agreement now in place and the appointments finalised, the Supreme Court has effectively drawn the curtain on a months-long institutional conflict that had left two major universities without permanent leadership.
