Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Cabinet has approved a bill to remove the Governor from the post of University Chancellor.
The governors of the respective states are the chancellors of the universities across the country. The Governor has the power to appoint University Vice-Chancellors on the recommendation of the State Government. In this case, due to the conflict between the governor and the state government in some states, the respective state governments are involved in efforts to reduce the power of the governor. When the current Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar was the Governor of West Bengal, the state government took steps to remove him from the post of Chancellor of the University.
Currently, a similar situation has occurred in Kerala. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has protested against the appointment of vice-chancellors by the state government to 11 universities in Kerala. The governor has sent a notice to the vice-chancellors seeking an explanation. In this case, the Kerala High Court, which is investigating the related case, has instructed not to take any further action against the Vice Chancellors. Also, the court has issued notices to the vice-chancellors seeking an explanation regarding their appointment.
As the conflict between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammad Khan has become apparent, the state cabinet has today (Nov. 9) approved the passage of a bill in the Legislative Assembly to remove the governor from the post of chancellor of universities with the aim of depriving the governor of his power. It is important to note that even if the Bill is passed by the Assembly, it becomes a law only after the assent of the Governor.