Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, as Chancellor of universities in the state, has directed the Vice-Chancellors of the University of Calicut and Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit to vacate their posts, an official source said today, Thursday, March 7. The two VCs were asked to vacate their posts as their appointments were allegedly found to violate the regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the source added, as stated in a report by PTI. 

Therefore, their appointments have been treated as void ab initio in light of the Supreme Court judgements on the issue of appointment of VCs, the sources said. However, the governor's order cannot be implemented for another 10 days due to a Kerala High Court direction, they added. According to the source, in January, this year, the Kerala High Court had asked the Chancellor to give a hearing to the VCs within six weeks. Additionally directed that any decision taken subsequently not be implemented for 10 days, PTI reported.

The high court order came on the pleas moved by several VCs who were issued show cause notices by the governor asking why they should not be removed from their posts as their appointments were allegedly in violation of the UGC norms.

The show cause notices were issued following the Supreme Court's October 2022 decision quashing the appointment of the VC of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University on the ground that it was contrary to UGC regulations.