The Kerala Students Union (KSU) has decided to challenge in court the decision to reappoint Kannur University Vice-Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran. The order dealing with the reappointment of the Vice-Chancellor was made by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on November 25. The reappointment came a day after Ravindran was given a farewell after he completed a tenure of four years. However, with his reappointment, he is reportedly the first VC to serve for eight years, all the way till 2025.
KSU district president Mohammed Shammas said that they would take legal opinion and would file a case against the reappointment. He alleged that the appointment was illegal. A person who has crossed the age of 60 cannot be appointed as Vice-Chancellor, he claimed. Earlier this year, the varsity was embroiled in controversy after it decided to include works of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologues Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, MS Golwalker and Deendayal Upadhyay.
The Kerala Students Union and Muslim Students Federation staged a protest against the inclusion of such works citing that there was an effort to saffronise education. The VC had, however, refuted the allegations. He said he could not understand the trigger for the protests. “Those who read the syllabus will not protest like this. They should learn more,” he had said.