Kerala Governor stays selection of CM private secretary’s wife to Kannur varsity

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday postponed the appointment of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s private secretary’s wife as an associate professor in Kannur University’s Malayalam department due to charges of violation of norms.

The new development could be seen as a continuation of Kerala’s escalating Governor-government rift.

The Governor’s decision came just hours after Kannur University vice-chancellor, Gopinath Ravindran, stated that there were no irregularities in the appointment of Priya Varghese, wife of CM’s private secretary K K Ragesh, to the position of assistant professor. The Governor’s action might also be interpreted as retaliation for the government’s efforts to limit the Governor’s authority in selecting university vice-chancellors.

It was alleged that Varghese lacked the UGC-required qualifications, including teaching experience, when qualifying for the position. Her research score was 156, while another applicant, Joseph Scaria, had a score of 651. However, Varghese secured the first rank because she performed better in the interview. This sparked accusations of favouritism.

Following that, the Governor received multiple objections, and as a result, the Governor has now stayed Kannur University syndicate’s decision to select Varghese. Show-cause notices were given to all stakeholders, according to a statement from Raj Bhavan.

Reacting to the Governor’s decision, the vice-chancellor said that the Governor’s decision was against the provisions of the act and hence, legal steps would be considered.

The fresh developments would further aggravate the Governor-government rift in Kerala. While the government is planning amendments in laws to curtail the Governor’s powers as chancellor of universities, Khan had openly stated on Tuesday that any law would require his nod as Governor.

Khan also recently refused to re-promulgate 11 ordinances forcing the government to convene a special session of the Assembly next week. The rift between the Governor and the government had indeed aggravated the alleged pressure on him to reappoint Ravindran as the vice-chancellor.