Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday, December 24 said he would take action on bills, which aim to remove him as chancellor of universities in the state, after going through them and obtaining the necessary clarifications, if required, from the ruling government, as stated in a report by PTI.
Addressing the media, Khan said he has not yet seen the Bills passed recently by the assembly as he was out of Kerala travelling for the last few days. It was on December 13, the assembly passed the bills to replace the governor as the chancellor of universities and to appoint eminent academicians to the post.
Further, he said there are already two pending bills for his approval as the state government was yet to provide the clarifications he had sought. The two pending bills are the Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill and the University Laws (Amendment) Bill. The Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill seeks to make the executive the appellate authority over reports by the anti-corruption agency. Passed in September, the University Laws (Amendment) Bill aims to change the number of members and the structure of the search-cum-selection committee that picks the Vice-Chancellor candidates.
Moreover, the bills for removing the governor as Chancellor were introduced in the House amid the continuing tussle between Khan and the Pinarayi Vijayan government over various issues, including the appointment of Vice-Chancellors of universities, as stated in a report by PTI.
