Kerala VC Appointment: Supreme Court Warns It Will Step In If State and Governor Fail To Reach Consensus
SC examined the ongoing deadlock between the Kerala Governor and State Government over Vice-Chancellor appointments and indicated it may step in if no agreement is reached
The Supreme Court on Friday indicated that it would intervene and make appointments itself if the Kerala Government and the Governor do not resolve their ongoing deadlock over the selection of regular Vice-Chancellors for two state universities.
The Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan was hearing the matter concerning the appointment of Vice-Chancellors to APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology.
The dispute stems from a prolonged standoff between the Kerala Government and Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the ex-officio Chancellor of state universities.
In view of the impasse, the Supreme Court had earlier appointed Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia as an independent authority to shortlist candidates.
Appearing for the Governor, Attorney General R Venkataramani submitted that the selection committee had recommended two names for each university, which the Chancellor had accepted. He added that the State Government had raised objections.
Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta appeared for the Kerala Government.
Justice Pardiwala asked whether progress could be made by Tuesday (December 9), noting that the Court-appointed committee had originally recommended four names each. “If you work it out, that’s fine. If not, we will appoint,” he said.
When the Attorney General began to convey the Chief Minister’s position, Justice Pardiwala emphasised the need for consensus, adding that the “most meritorious” candidates must be appointed.
The Bench finally posted the matter for Thursday (December 11), placing it at the top of the board and signalling that the Court will not allow the matter to linger without resolution.
Notably, on November 27, the Kerala Governor has approached the Supreme Court alleging that the Chief Minister forwarded only “incomplete records” relating to the appointment of Vice Chancellors for APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, making it impossible for him to act on the recommendations of the Justice (retired) Sudhanshu Dhulia Committee.
On the last hearing, the Supreme Court had strongly criticised the Kerala Governor for holding up action on the report submitted by Justice Dhulia regarding the appointments of Vice Chancellors.
Previously in September, the Attorney General of India had mentioned before the Court an application filed by Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar seeking the removal of the Kerala Chief Minister from the Committee constituted for appointing regular Vice Chancellors of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the University of Digital Sciences Innovation and Technology.
Recently, the Kerala Governor had approached the Supreme Court seeking modification of its August 18 order on the process for appointing Vice Chancellors to two state universities. In his application, the Governor urged the Court to exclude the Chief Minister from the selection process, include a nominee of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in the search committee, and ensure that the Chancellor retains the discretion to choose from an alphabetical panel of shortlisted candidates.
On August 18, the Apex Court had appointed former judge of the Court, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, as the Chairperson of the Search and Selection Committee to appoint Vice Chancellors for two universities in Kerala; APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology.
Earlier, on August 13, the Apex Court had said that it would itself constitute a Search Committee to oversee the process for appointing VCs to APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, after the State and the Chancellor failed to reach consensus on the issue.
Case Title: The Chancellor, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University v. State of Kerala & Ors.
Hearing date: December 5, 2025