The Supreme Court of India has sharply criticized the Kerala Governor for stalling the appointment of new Vice Chancellors (VCs) for two state universities (APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology).
The Governor and the Kerala Government were fighting over who gets to choose the new VCs. To solve this, the Supreme Court asked a respected former Supreme Court judge, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, to lead a committee and recommend qualified candidates.
Justice Dhulia’s committee did its job and sent the list of names (the “report”). However, the Governor, who is the Chancellor of the universities, has failed to act on these recommendations.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan told the Governor off, stressing that the report is not a casual document—it’s the result of a former top judge’s work. The Court dismissed the Governor’s excuse that they were waiting for “official records” as not good enough.
The Supreme Court has ordered the Governor to immediately review the recommendations and move forward, making sure the top leadership positions in the universities are filled without any more delay. The Court warned that it would check later to see if the Governor’s final decision is legally sound.
This intervention is crucial because having empty VC posts stops the universities from running smoothly, hurting students and academics.
