Higher Education Minister R. Bindu accuses Governor Arlekar of going back on his assurances

Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has accused Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar of functioning in an undemocratic manner, allegedly in a bid to undermine the Constitutional role of the State government in public universities.

Despite making assurances on various issues, including the administrative impasse at Kerala University, during his meetings with the Chief Minister, and others, including the Higher Education and Law Ministers, the actions of the Governor (who is also the Chancellor of State-run universities), have been in complete contradiction, she told mediapersons on Thursday.

The ongoing crisis, she added, prevails at a time when Kerala’s universities had made commendable progress in research and innovation, and with students and faculty actively contributing to the development of products and processes beneficial to the State.

“Instead of supporting such advancements, institutions such as Raj Bhavan have been making deliberate attempts to derail these efforts for political purposes,” Dr. Bindu alleged.

The Minister criticised the Chancellor for bypassing the government in key university appointments, especially in the selection of Vice-Chancellors.

“Despite clear directives from the Kerala High Court which rejected the Chancellor’s arguments and endorsing the government’s role in preparing the panel (for Vice-Chancellor appointments), he went ahead and acted in contradiction. This is not how such issues are addressed in most other States, where Chancellors operate with a sense of shared responsibility alongside the State governments,” Dr. Bindu claimed.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor in-charge of Kerala University Mohanan Kunnummal met the Governor at Raj Bhavan to apprise him of the ongoing crisis at the university. The deepening rift between Prof. Kunnummal and the Left-dominant Syndicate has taken a toll on the university’s functioning for several weeks.

While the Governor had earlier refrained from making any direct intervention in the issue, the Vice-Chancellor’s visit now signals a potential shift, possibly paving the way for gubernatorial involvement in resolving the impasse.

Earlier, Prof. Kunnummal chaired a meeting of the Deans’ Council, which decided to grant equivalency certificates to graduates of Sree Narayana Guru Open University for the purpose of higher studies and employment.

The emergency meeting was convened against the backdrop of widespread concerns by students, who claimed that the lack of recognition from Kerala University had deprived them of opportunities.