Kerala High Court dismisses appeal against Kannur Vice Chancellor re-appointment

Kerala HC dismissed an appeal against a single judge order upholding the re-appointment of Gopinath Ravindran as the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University.

Kerala HC (Source: Shutterstock)

Press Trust of India | February 23, 2022 | 11:56 AM IST

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal against a single judge order upholding the re-appointment of Gopinath Ravindran as the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Kannur University.

A bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly rejected the plea moved by a member each from the varsity's Senate and Academic Council against the single judge's order of December 15 last year. Senior government pleader V Manu, who appeared for the state in the matter, confirmed dismissal of the appeal. The judgment is yet to be made available.

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The December 15, 2021 order had come on the same petitioners' plea seeking quashing of a November 23, 2021 notification by which Ravindran was re-appointed as the VC. While rejecting the plea, the single judge had said that there was no violation of any statutory provision in the re-appointment of Ravindran as the VC.

The court, in the December 15, 2021 order, had said that re-appointment was different from appointment and the procedure adopted for the latter need not be followed when re-appointing someone. The petitioners, had contended before the single judge, that a person can hold office of VC only till the age of 60 years and Ravindran, born on December 19, 1960, was over age at the time of his second appointment.

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The petitioners had also contended that after the expiry of the four year term of a VC, there was no clause for extension and the only option was appointment. The single judge had rejected the contentions.

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