Overview

• Rajendra Arlekar, acting as Chancellor, moved the Supreme Court to exclude Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from selecting vice-chancellors for APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Kerala Digital University.
• The application argues neither the university Acts nor UGC Regulations 2018 envisage any role for the Chief Minister and cites conflict-of-interest concerns tied to government-run affiliated colleges.
• It also asks the court to bar state-nominated members from the search panels and to require inclusion of a nominee of the UGC chairperson.
• The Governor said he accepts Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia as chair of the search-cum-selection committees but wants panels to submit multiple suitable names without a rank list, leaving the final choice to the Chancellor.
• The move responds to the August 18 order that allowed the Chief Minister to review shortlists, flag unsuitability, and recommend names in order of preference, as the UGC separately sought to be made a party to the case.