Kochi: The High Court canceled the nomination of the Governor to the Kerala University Senate. The High Court directed the Governor to make a fresh nomination within six weeks.
The governor nominated the representatives on his own, ignoring the list provided by the university registrar. The governor personally nominated four of the student representatives to the senate. This action was quashed by the High Court.
The governor has nominated to the senate in the categories of humanities, science, fine arts and sports. The main allegation was that the nomination was done on the basis of political background.
Those who have won proficiency or prizes in the field of arts or arts festivals are usually nominated as student representatives. But the students who were in the list submitted by the university approached the court stating that they were not considered despite being proficient in arts and humanities subjects. The court had earlier asked why they were not considered.
The Governor informed the court that there is no specific guidance for such nomination and therefore he has the authority to make the nomination on his own. The court also asked what additional qualifications the nominated students had over the students in the list provided by the university.
The High Court directed the Chancellor to make a fresh nomination within six weeks. The High Court upheld the appointment of two persons nominated by the government. After hearing the side of the petitioners, the court directed to make the appointment through fresh nominations.
