Meet the 9 VCs who were asked to resign by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, acting as the Chancellor of Universities in the state, asked Vice Chancellors (VCs) of nine universities in Kerala to resign, citing a Supreme Court decision that quashed the appointment of the VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University as it violated UGC norms.

Khan's move sparked a political storm in the state, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issuing a stern warning to the Constitutional head on Monday, asking him not to overstep his powers, and the ruling LDF announcing a two-day state-wide protest beginning on Tuesday.

In the face of mounting criticism for his decision and the VCs' failure to tender their resignations by 11:30 am on Monday, the Chancellor issued show-cause notices to them, requesting responses by November 3.

Simultaneously, he stated that some VCs have an excellent track record and clarified that his decision was based on the Supreme Court ruling.

The resignations of the nine VCs were sought as some were appointed from a single-name list. According to Khan, the Chief Secretary of the state was a selection committee member, violating UGC norms.

1) Dr V P Mahadevan Pillai was the VC of Kerala University when he resigned just days before his term was to end. He was a Professor and Head of the Department of Optoelectronics at the Central University of Kerala before being appointed VC of Kerala University. From 1982 to 2001, he was a Lecturer in the Department of Physics at St. Gregorios College in Kottarakara. In 1996, he received his PhD in Physics from Kerala University.

After Pillai's tenure ended on Monday, Raj Bhavan tweeted that Khan, as Chancellor, has ordered that Dr Mohanan Kunnumnal, VC of the Kerala University of Health Sciences, will also exercise powers and perform duties as VC of the University of Kerala beginning on Tuesday.

2) Dr Sabu Thomas, Mahatma Gandhi University's Vice Chancellor, was a Polymer Science and Engineering Professor in the School of Chemical Sciences and the Founder-Director of the International and Inter-University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. He holds a PhD in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Before starting his long academic career at MG University in 1987, he worked briefly for Bata India Ltd and Bayer India Ltd.

3) Dr K N Madhusoodanan was appointed as the 14th Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in April 2019. He has over 20 years of teaching and research experience. According to the CUSAT website, he served as Head Department of Instrumentation, a Member of the Academic Council, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at MG University, Kottayam.

4) In September 2020, Dr K Riji John was appointed VC of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS). According to the KUFOS website, he received his M.FSc from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, in 1988 and his PhD from the Institute of Aquaculture, the University of Stirling in the UK on Fish Virology, in 1997 under the Commonwealth Scholarship.

According to the university, he began his academic career in 1990 as an Assistant Professor at the Fisheries College and Research Institute in Thoothukudi, which is part of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Science University.

5) Dr Gopinath Ravindran, the VC of Kannur University, had previously been in the news for his re-appointment to the post after his tenure expired last year, and the matter had reached the Kerala High Court, which upheld the re-appointment. Before coming to Kannur University, Ravindran taught Modern Indian Economic History in the Department of History and Culture at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi. He graduated from St Stephens College, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the London School of Economics.

6) Dr M S Rajasree was the VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University when his appointment was revoked by the Supreme Court, citing a violation of the University Grants Commission's norms (UGC). Armed with this Supreme Court order, Khan went on to seek the resignation of eight other VCs of state universities. Meanwhile, Raj Bhavan sources said the state government accepted the Supreme Court's decision on Rajasree and recommended a replacement in a letter to the Chancellor.

Rajasree was the Principal of Government Engineering College at Barton Hill before being appointed as VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University in 2019. She received her M.Tech and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

7) In March 2022, Dr M V Narayanan was appointed as the VC of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit. He was a Professor and Head of the English Department at Calicut University before being appointed VC, and he has 32 years of teaching experience,

8) Dr M K Jayaraj was Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies and Head of the Physics Department at CUSAT before being named VC of Calicut University in July 2020. Jayaraj earned his BSc and MSc from the Universities of Calicut and Cochin, respectively. Cochin University awarded him a PhD.

9) In 2018, Dr V Anil Kumar was named VC of Thunchathezhuthachan Malayalam University. According to the Thunchathezhuthachan Malayalam University website, Anil Kumar was a Professor and Head of the Department in Malayalam at Calicut University, and a member of the advisory committee of Kendra Sahithya Academy, and a member of the board of studies of various Universities in India.

(With inputs from PTI)

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