Key Points

The apex court’s order came while considering a petition filed by the Kerala government against the state Governor, who also functions as the Chancellor of state universities.

The state had earlier requested that a retired judge be appointed to lead the committee, and the court has now accepted this plea.

"We firmly believe that this impasse, which has been created, should be taken care of at the earliest. In such circumstances, we appointed Sudhanshu Dhulia, former judge of this Court, as chairperson of the Search-cum-Selection University for both universities," the apex court said in its order.

According to the court’s directive, the Search Committee will be constituted based on panels submitted by both the Governor and the state government.

The committee will have four members, two nominees from the Chancellor and two nominees from the state government, and Justice Dhulia will preside over it as its Chairperson.

The Supreme Court has set a strict timeline for the process.

The committee must be formed within two weeks, and progress in the selection of a permanent Vice Chancellor should be reported to the court within one month.

The case was initiated after the Pinarayi Vijayan government complained of non-cooperation from Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar in finalising the VC appointment process.

The state informed the court that it had made all possible efforts to ensure cooperation, but the Governor had delayed action.

In response, the Attorney General, representing the Governor’s side, argued that no genuine attempts had been made by the government.

Following this, the Supreme Court had earlier directed both the government and the Governor to exchange panel lists of experts for the Search Committee.

The formation of the Search Committee under Justice Dhulia is expected to break the impasse between the state government and the Governor, ensuring that the appointment of permanent Vice Chancellors for the Digital and Technical Universities is carried out without further delay.

- IANS