Kerala Assembly passes contentious University Laws Bill; UDF boycotts

The Kerala Assembly passed the contentious University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022, which would result in curtailing the powers of the Governor as Chancellor of state universities

Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan | Photo: ANI
Press Trust of India Thiruvananthapuram
2 min read Last Updated : Sep 01 2022 | 2:30 PM IST

The Kerala Assembly on Thursday passed the contentious University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022, which would result in curtailing the powers of the Governor as Chancellor of state universities.

The opposition Congress-UDF boycotted the House proceedings before voting alleging that the government was trying to appoint "puppets" of the ruling party in key posts in varsities.

Announcing their boycott, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said the Bill was an "insult" to the higher education sector of the state.

The Bill would affect the autonomy of the universities and would set a wrong precedent in the higher education sector, he charged before walking out of the hall.

However, Higher Education Minister R Bindu claimed that the opposition and media's propaganda that the Bill would strip the powers of the Governor was wrong.

The Bill was passed at a time when the ruling CPI(M) was facing nepotism charges from opposition parties in connection with the faculty appointment in many universities in the state.

The new Bill would restrict the authority of the Governor, who holds the position of Chancellor, in appointing Vice Chancellors (VCs) of universities.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and the CPI(M)-led LDF government have been at loggerheads for some time on various issues including on the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University.

Khan, in his capacity as Chancellor, had also stayed the appointment of Malayalam associate professor in the same university, for the interview in which Priya Varghese, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's private secretary K K Ragesh's wife, was given first rank.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Kerala AssemblyUDFAll India United Democratic Front

First Published: Sep 01 2022 | 2:30 PM IST

Next Story