7 Vice-Chancellors move Kerala HC against Governor’s notice

Seven Vice Chancellors of universities in Kerala on Wednesday approached the High Court again against the show cause notice issued to them by Governor Arif Muhammad Khan who is also the Chancellor of Universities.
A single judge bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran will consider their plea on Wednesday. Khan on 24 October had served show cause notices to Vice Chancellors (VCs) of nine universities and asked them to explain why their appointment should not be declared illegal. The Governor alleged the violation of University Grants Commission (UGC) norms in the appointment process.
In the plea, the VCs are demanding the cancellation of the show cause notice.
None of the VCs have responded to the show-cause notice of the Chancellor (Governor) so far. The deadline to reply to the notice is 5 pm on 3 November.
Earlier, the HC had declared that the VCs can continue in their posts until removed by the Governor after getting their explanations for the show cause notice. Justice Ramachandran made the earlier declaration while disposing of the petitions filed by the VCs of eight universities after Governor Arif Mohammed Khan asked them to resign from the post citing the Supreme Court judgment that quashed the appointment of the VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University.
The VCs of the University of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kannur University, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, the University of Calicut and Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University had challenged the Chancellor’s communication in the court.