Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday, using his powers as Chancellor of the universities in the state, appointed Prof (Dr) Ciza Thomas as Vice Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, pending the appointment of a regular VC.
The governor appointed Thomas, who is joint senior director of the Technical Education Directorate, as VC by rejecting the left-wing government’s recommendation to transfer responsibility to Secretary of State for Higher Education Ishita Roy IAS until a regular VC is appointed for the top post of the Technological University, according to official sources.
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In a notice issued tonight, the Raj Bhavan said Thomas will exercise the powers and duties of the VC Technological University with immediate effect, in addition to her normal duties, until further notice.
The measure was necessary following a recent Supreme Court order appointing Dr. Rajasree MS as Vice Chancellor of the University was quashed, as it was bad under the law and against UGC regulations.
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In its order last month, the SC had said, according to the University Grants Commission (UGC), that the state-assembled search committee must have recommended to the chancellor a panel of no less than three qualified individuals from leading people in the field of engineering sciences, but instead, it just sent the name of Dr. Rajasree MS. Armed with the highest court order, the governor recently requested the resignation of VCs from nine varsities in the state, sparking a political and legal battle in the southern state.
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