Days after Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan was removed from the post of the chancellor of Kalamandalam deemed university, State Law Minister P Rajeev on Sunday said that the legislature has the right to decide who should be the chancellor of the university.
The tussle between Kerala Governor and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over an ordinance for the removal of the Governor from the post of chancellor of the universities is going on for a long. “Communication between the governor and the government should not be done through the media. They are constitutional mechanisms. A council of ministers prepares the ordinance. Based on that, the government expects the Governor, who is constitutionally responsible, to carry out the responsibility. The incorporation of Universities is the authority of the State. The UGC regulations do not mention who the Chancellor is,” said the Kerala Law Minister.
Rajeev further said that the appointment of chancellors and the formation of universities are entirely within the purview of the state.
“Actually, it is not about removing someone. It is about who needs to be in that position. The legislature has the right to decide who should be the chancellor of the university. If the executive feels that there is an emergency in the event that the legislature is not in session, an ordinance can be promulgated. This is not against anyone. This is to determine who should be in the Chancellor’s post. There should be changes in the field of higher education. Reforms have been started for it. The executive felt that a part of it was urgently needed. That is why the ordinance was introduced,” he said.
He said that Kalamandalam will have a new chancellor soon.
