KU senate refuses to elect a nominee

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala University special senate meeting here on Friday decided not to elect a nominee for the search committee constituted by chancellor Arif Mohammed Khan until the two-member committee appointed by him is disbanded. The LDF nominees in the syndicate feels that the governor constituted the committee unilaterally and against the norms laid down by the university rules.
Though the UDF members in the senate demanded that the senate should elect a nominee to be included in the search cum selection committee, the LDF members in the senate refused to budge from their earlier decision. Incidentally, the CPM leadership summoned the LDF senate members at AKG Centre on Friday morning and gave instructions on the stand they should take at the Senate meeting. Since the CPM has alleged political motives behind the actions of the governor, the CPM leadership is learnt to have asked its nominees not to make any changes to the stand taken by the previous senate meeting.
The high court had on the other day passed critical comments against the Kerala university senate's refusal to elect its nominee to be included in the search committee. Health university vice chancellor Mohan Kunnummel is currently holding the additional charge of the Kerala University vice-chancellor as V P Mahadevan Pillai's term ended last month. Following the University’s refusal to elect a nominee, the government extended the period of the search committee.
As many as 50 senate members supported the resolution and wanted the senate to stick to its earlier decision. Seven members belonging to the UDF opposed the resolution.