Kerala assembly passes bill to remove governor as chancellor of state universities

The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday passed the University Laws (Amendment) Bill to replace the Governor as the Chancellor of universities in the state and appoint eminent academicians in the top post. The bill is passed Speaker A N Shamseer said.The bill was passed after hours long discussions during which the Congress-led UDF said it was not opposed to the removal of the Governor as Chancellor, but he should be selected from amongst retired Supreme Court judges and former Kerala High Court chief justices.

The opposition also said there need not be different Chancellors for each of the universities and that the selection panel should comprise the Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and the Kerala High Court Chief Justice.However, state Law Minister P Rajeeve said that a judge cannot be a part of the selection panel and the Speaker would be a better option.The minister also said being retired judges cannot be the sole option for being appointed at the helm of universities.