Kerala V-C appointments’ deadlock ends: SC hails ‘happy ending to saga’

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan also recorded its satisfaction over the development. The court had said last week that it would make the appointments if the two sides were unable to resolve their differences.

aji Gopinathan and Dr Ciza Thomas have been appointed V-Cs of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the University of Digital Sciences, Innovation, and Technology, in Kerala.

The Supreme Court on Thursday brought the curtains down on proceedings related to the appointment of vice-chancellors (V-Cs) for two Kerala universities—the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the University of Digital Sciences, Innovation, and Technology—after it was informed that the governor and chief minister had resolved their differences on the issue.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan also recorded its satisfaction over the development. The court had said last week that it would make the appointments if the two sides were unable to resolve their differences.

On Thursday, Attorney General (AG) R Venkataramani informed the bench that Saji Gopinathan and Dr Ciza Thomas have been appointed as the VCs of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the University of Digital Sciences, Innovation, and Technology, respectively. The AG also said that the governor himself had reached out to the chief minister.

Appreciating this, Justice Pardiwala said, “I hope they keep talking like this, over a mug of coffee, for the larger interest of people.”

Taking note of the submission, the bench said in its order, “After our last order…there have been some positive developments. This case illustrates how a timely and decisive intervention by this court can go a long way in protecting the rights of citizens.”

The bench said, “We place our appreciation to the authorities who are parties in the matter and who, in the true spirit of the Constitution, especially Article 144, have acted in aid of the orders of this court.”