Last Update: March 06, 2023, 11:04 AM IST
Arif Mohammad Khan Khan in a letter questioned the legality of the formation of the search committee by the state government (File photo/Twitter)
Kerala Raj Bhavan said that the notification regarding the additional charge of Malayalam University given to Mahatma Gandhi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Sabu Thomas was issued on Saturday.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, as Chancellor of Universities in the state, has ordered that Thunchath Ezhuthachan, Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), will also perform the duties of Vice-Chancellor of Malayalam University.
Kerala Raj Bhavan said that the notification regarding the additional charge of Malayalam University given to Mahatma Gandhi University Vice-Chancellor Dr Sabu Thomas was issued on Saturday.
It said that Thomas will take charge with immediate effect and will continue in that post till further orders.
Kerala Raj Bhavan said, “This is in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section 9 of section 29 of the Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University Act 2013 read with 7(3) of the UGC Act 2018.”
The move comes days after the Governor, who is acting as the Chancellor of universities in the state, opposed the state government’s decision to set up a search committee for the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Malayalam University.
In a letter, Khan questioned the legality of setting up the search committee by the state government.
The Malayalam University, named after the father of the Malayalam language, is at Tirur in Malappuram district.
The chancellor’s office had said Khan’s response came after the state government repeatedly asked the committee to suggest its nominee.
Sources had said that the state government had constituted the committee on the basis of the Universities Act (Amendment) Bill, which empowers it to appoint vice-chancellors of universities.
However, that bill is still pending with the governor, who has not yet given his assent to make it a law.
The Governor had said in his letter that at present there is no law empowering the government to form a search committee.
The term of former Vice-Chancellor of Malayalam University V Anil Kumar ended on February 28.
As per the University Act, a Search Committee consists of a nominee of the Chancellor and a representative from each government and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
However, the government had decided to constitute a five-member committee which also included nominees of the University Syndicate and the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC).
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)