3 min readThiruvanathapuramUpdated: Nov 11, 2022 02:06 AM IST
The Kerala government on Thursday amended the rules of Kerala Kalamandalam deemed university to remove Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as its chancellor.
The Kalamandalam deemed university is a premier institution for preservation and promotion of traditional performing arts in the state. The State Cultural Affairs Department issued the order after amending the rules and regulations of the institution.
The order stated, “The governance and the management system of the Kalamandalam (deemed to be university for arts and culture) shall be in accordance with the decision of the state government. The chancellor shall be an eminent person in the field of art and culture to be appointed by the sponsoring body, which is the state government.”
According to the department’s order, the tenure of the new chancellor would be “five years from the day of assuming office”, and she/he would be “eligible for reappointment for another term, provided that no person is eligible to hold the office on attaining the age of 75”.
In 2015, the then Congress-led UDF government had, through an executive order, made the Governor, by virtue of his office, the chancellor of the Kalamandalam. Thus, the Governor’s removal as chancellor was executed through another order on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the CPI(M)-led LDF government had decided to issue an ordinance to remove the Governor as chancellor of 14 other state universities. Legislation is required to remove the Governor from the post of chancellor of these universities, and laws related to the respective universities, including making the Governor ex-officio chancellor, were made by the legislative Assembly.
Kalamandalam, though, has a different structure with an executive board, in which the vice-chancellor is a member.
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Dr T K Narayanan, the former V-C of Kalamandalam, who is seen as having the backing of CPI(M), had earlier locked horns with Khan over reinstatement of a PRO at the university. Khan wanted R Gopikrishnan, who was suspended in 2017, reinstated, but Narayanan did not go by the Governor’s directive.
Narayanan had even moved the High Court against Khan but withdrew his petition earlier this year following the government’s intervention. Khan was said to have been upset over the approach of Narayanan, who did not appear at the Raj Bhavan for a hearing regarding the PRO’s appointment.
