The Supreme Court’s order on November 30 (Thursday) rescinding the contentious reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran as Vice Chancellor of Kannur University after his tenure ended in 2021 seemed to have come as an arguably stinging setback for the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
For one, it has rendered the government vulnerable to barbed criticism from Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition as the Cabinet pushed ahead with its high-profile Statewide public outreach programme Navakerala Sadas.
Mr. Khan termed the apex court verdict that slammed the Kerala government for “unwarranted interference” with the Chancellor’s prerogative to appoint vice chancellors “scathing”.