HC to hear Kannur Vice-Chancellor case
The High court is likely to consider a plea challenging Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan’s contentious decision to extend the term of the Kannur University vice-chancellor beyond the retirement age.
Mr. Khan, who is also the Chancellor of varsities, is likely to take a stance on the issue in the court. His position in the High Court will be of some political import. The Congress and Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP) had clamoured for Higher Education Minister R. Bindu’s resignation for allegedly throwing political propriety to the wind and “pressurising” Mr. Khan to “violate varsity norms”.
When the controversy peaked in January, Mr. Khan had appeared to suggest that he had reluctantly assented to the government’s questionable decision to avoid precipitating a constitutional crisis. The opposition had alleged that Ms. Bindu had also asked Mr. Khan to disband the select committee for choosing the vice-chancellor’s successor. Last week, the Kerala Lok Ayukta had rejected the opposition’s plea to oust Ms. Bindu from office for maladministration, abuse of power and nepotism.
Demolition likely
Local village authorities are poised to demolish the check dam and ropeway constructed by the kin of LDF independent legislator P. V. Anwar at a private hilltop resort in Malappuram. The High Court had ordered the tearing down of the unauthorised constructions following a plea by local environmentalists.
Church opposes K-rail, Lok Ayukta amendment
Syro-Malabar Catholic Major Arch Diocsese of Ernakulam and Angamaly oppose K-Rail. Its mouthpiece, Sathyadeepam, termed the semi-high speed railway scheme an economically and environmentally unviable project. The newspaper also slammed the government for promulgating an executive order amending the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999, without due debate in the Assembly or consultations within the Left Democratic Front. It also questioned the need to dilute the anti-corruption powers of the ombudsman.
Murder suspect held
The State police have arrested a Tamil Nadu resident who had emerged as the prime suspect in the murder of a woman employee at a private nursery in Thiruvananthapuram last week.
Spice farmers hit
The threat of loss of mortgaged homes and agricultural land to creditors and low prices for cash crops has cast a shadow over the lives of thousands of farmers in Wayanad, a major producer of coffee and spices in the country.
