A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday quashed the show-cause notice issued by the Kerala Government to Prof Ciza Thomas, former principal Government Engineering College, Thiruvananthapuram for taking over the additional charge of the vice-chancellor of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University without the permission of the Government.
Prof Thomas ha assumed charges of the vice chancellor of the university under orders of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan following the Supreme Court verdict unseating the then vice chancellor Rajashree’s appointment as null and void.
The Governor, who is the chancellor of the University had appointed Prof Thomas as she was the most eligible person to hold the post. Though Prof Thomas had sought the permission of the CPI-M led Kerala Government to relieve her from the post of principal, Government Engineering College, Thiruvananthapuram, the latter sat over her plea till her retirement on 23 March 2023. The State Government had approached the High Court challenging the appointment of Prof Thomas as Vice Chancellor. But the High Court had ruled that the appointment was in line with the guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission and hence the plea by the Government was not tenable.
According to Prof Thomas, the Kerala Government started harassing her from the day she joined as v c of the technical university. She was served a show-cause notice by the Government for taking up the post of VC without prior approval by the Government. She approached the Kerala Administrative Tribunal questioning the propriety behind the show cause notice. Though the KAT dismissed the show cause notice it gave permission to the Government for going ahead with disciplinary proceedings against her. It was this order which she challenged in the High Court and a bench consisting of Justices Mohammed Mushtaq and Sobha Annamma Eappen.
The appointment of vice-chancellors and faculties in the Universities in the State have become a bone of contention between the Governor and the CPI-M led Government. The Government has given a go by to academic and professional qualifications of persons to be appointed as vice-chancellors and faculty members. All vice-chancellors appointed by the Government face uncertainty as the apex court has already declared the appointment of at least three V C s as null and void. The Kerala Government has sent a Bill removing the Governor from the post of Chancellor of Universities in the State for the approval of the Governor. Friday’s verdict by the Division Bench quashing the show cause notice on Prof Thomas is a setback to the Kerala Government, according to R S Sasi Kumar, Save University Forum, an organization of academicians in the state fighting to save the universities in the State from political interference and nepotism.