Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s decision as Chancellor to order withdrawal of senate members of Kerala University was not according to law. Regarding the members Khan had nominated, the CM said there is a concept called natural justice which the Chancellor should have kept in mind when he took the action.
“The steps he took were not according to the law. Some of the senate members were ex-officio and the law does not give him the authority to remove them,” Vijayan said at a press conference held here in the evening. Vijayan also said the Chancellor should take a stand which is good for the healthy growth of the universities. As Chancellor of Universities in the state, Khan had issued an order for removal of 15 members of the senate of the Kerala University.
Khan had taken the action after his repeated directions to hold a senate meeting and provide a nominee for the selection committee went unheeded, sources in the Raj Bhavan had said. The selection committee was to appoint a Vice-Chancellor.