Kerala Govt Begins Vice-Chancellor Appointments for KTU and DUK

Quick Summary

• The State government of Kerala has issued notifications inviting applications for vice-Chancellor positions at APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) adn Digital University Kerala (DUK).
• This decision follows a Supreme Court directive appointing former Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia as chairperson of the search-cum-selection committee.
• Eligible candidates must have at least 10 years of professor-level or equivalent academic administrative experience, proven academic leadership, and must be below 61 years as of August 23, 2025.
• the selected Vice-Chancellors will serve a four-year term or until age 65.
• Applications are due by 6 p.m.on September 19, after which they will be scrutinized by the Higher Education department before being forwarded too the committee chairperson.

Appointment Process Overview:

1. Search-cum-selection committees may be separate or joint for KTU and DUK.
2. After evaluation, recommendations go to the Chief Minister for review, who can provide feedback forwardable to the Governor (Chancellor).
3. Final preference order is decided by the Chief Minister but requires approval from the Chancellor within two weeks unless there are disagreements resolved by Supreme Court intervention.

Indian Opinion analysis

The notifications indicate Kerala’s focus on streamlining higher education’s leadership structure amidst judicial oversight from India’s Supreme Court. Centralizing authority in a search-cum-selection process chaired by an eminent jurist enhances clarity while underscoring tensions between governance levels-the State, Chief Minister’s office, and Governor (Chancellor). Efficient execution is critical given potential procedural complexity arising from multiple inputs and disagreement resolution mechanisms.

This process could set precedence in balancing judicial instructions with institutional autonomy in appointments-a crucial area as universities ofen face challenges maintaining strong administrative continuity alongside their growth mandates.

Link: August 24, ’25