Kerala HC Rejects Plea by KTU Vice-Chancellor

quick Summary

• The Kerala High Court declined to issue an order on a plea filed by the Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, K.Sivaprasad, seeking a directive to address alleged administrative stalemates at the university.
• The V-C requested the court’s intervention for government officials to attend Syndicate meetings adn resolve governance issues.
• The State government’s counsel opposed the plea, stating it had become infructuous due to the passage of time as the Syndicate meeting scheduled for August 13.
• A Supreme Court-appointed search-cum-selection committee, chaired by a former judge of the apex court, is tasked with selecting a new V-C.
• The V-C alleged that three out of nine Syndicate members abstained from meetings due to political reasons,leading to quorum issues and administrative paralysis at KTU.
• According to his submission earlier this month:

– Employees have not received wages for one month,
– Pensioners have not been paid pensions for two months,
– This financial delay is attributed to non-passage of KTU’s Budget amidst ‘non-cooperation’ by State government representatives.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The situation highlights glaring governance challenges within higher education institutions in India when political factors disrupt crucial decision-making. While procedural delays are common in bureaucratic systems, failure in timely budget approvals has meaningful human impacts-employees going unpaid and pensioners facing hardship will undeniably hinder trust in institutional operations. Moreover, quorum requirements underscore how critical collaboration between state entities and institutional committees is.

That said, steps like appointing a Supreme Court-led selection committee signal attempts toward structural correction and fostering leadership accountability. Ensuring obvious processes as this impasse is resolved coudl prevent similar crises in other institutions nationwide-especially valuable given education’s pivotal role as an economic backbone.

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