Calicut University V-C Selection Contested After Governor Constitutes Search Panel

Overview

• Governor and Chancellor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has constituted a search-cum-selection committee and called for applications to appoint a new Vice-Chancellor.
• The committee lists Eluvathingal D. Jemmis as the Chancellor’s nominee and Ravindra D. Kulkarni, the University of Mumbai V-C, as the University Grants Commission nominee.
• The Senate had chosen A. Sabu as its nominee, but he later declined the role, creating a vacancy linked to the committee’s legality.
• Raj Bhavan maintains Sabu’s withdrawal came after the notification constituting the committee and says it need not be considered.
• Pro-Left Senate members argue the panel is invalid without a Senate nominee and say the notification should have been issued by the Higher Education Principal Secretary, while UDF-aligned Syndicate members cite repeated nominee withdrawals, including Dharmaraj Adat in August, as a tactic to stall the process.