Overview
- Rajendra Arlekar, acting as Chancellor, moved the Supreme Court to modify its August 18 order that routed search panel recommendations through Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Kerala Digital University.
- The application argues neither the university statutes nor the 2018 UGC Regulations envisage any role for the state executive and says involving the Chief Minister would amount to a person judging his own cause.
- Arlekar seeks a non‑ranked, alphabetical panel of three to five suitable names for the Chancellor’s final pick, opposes inclusion of state nominees on the search committees, and asks that a UGC nominee be mandated.
- He does not object to former Supreme Court judge Sudhanshu Dhulia chairing the search‑cum‑selection committees, which were constituted under the apex court’s supervision to break the stalemate.
- Kerala Higher Education Minister R. Bindu called the move regrettable, and the UGC has also asked to be made a party to the case as the Supreme Court continues to oversee the appointment process.