Over more than half a decade, the relationship between the Kerala government and the Raj Bhavan has deteriorated. Where there was ceremonial civility and mutual respect earlier, there is now friction, partisanship, and constitutional brinkmanship. And caught in this crossfire are Kerala’s public universities.
Successive Governors — Arif Mohammed Khan followed by Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar — have clashed repeatedly with the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, especially over matters pertaining to higher education. Increasingly, these disputes are no longer symbolic or rhetorical; they are affecting the functioning of academic institutions.
Also read | Higher education in low spirits
This dysfunction is most apparent in the ongoing deadlock over the appointment of Vice-Chancellors. Thirteen of the 14 State universities, where the Governor serves as Chancellor, have been without permanent Vice-Chancellors for months or even years. The logjam arises from disagreements between the government and the Governor’s office over the constitution of search-cum-selection committees, effectively stalling leadership appointments in institutions.
The current flashpoint of this crisis is the University of Kerala. On June 25, a private event at the university’s Senate Hall was abruptly cancelled on the grounds that it featured a controversial depiction of ‘Bharat Mata’ holding a saffron flag. Citing violations of university norms, Registrar K.S. Anil Kumar issued orders to cancel the event, reportedly at the advice of the Syndicate, which is dominated by Left-leaning members. The Governor was informed of the cancellation, but chose to go to the Senate Hall nevertheless. The programme proceeded amid student protests and political tensions.
A week later, the Vice-Chancellor in-charge, Mohanan Kunnummal, suspended the Registrar. In retaliation, the Syndicate convened a meeting, and despite the Vice-Chancellor formally adjourning and exiting the meeting, proceeded to revoke the suspension, citing procedural overreach. The scenario has given way to an unprecedented situation where both the suspended Registrar and his temporary replacement claim to hold the same office.
As the stand-off persisted, students bore the brunt. Protests escalated and essential administrative processes, including the issuance of degree certificates, came to a halt. Dr. Kunnummal returned to the university only on July 18 and cleared the backlog, reportedly under the Governor’s advice. Even then, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu’s attempt to broker a truce has yielded little substantive change. The Vice-Chancellor remains adamant on the legitimacy of the suspension, while the Syndicate insists on its revocation.
The Governor and the government also continue to spar over the appointments of interim Vice-Chancellors, with each attempting to assert their ideological and administrative primacy in the higher education sector. While the Left claims that campuses are being influenced by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Governor’s office claims that there is excessive political interference by the State. Mr. Arlekar’s ideological proximity to the RSS and his public admiration for Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar have only heightened tensions. With little sign of a thaw, the confrontation threatens to erode public faith in governance as well as in higher education.
The longer this constitutional tug-of-war continues, the greater the risk of irreparable harm to not just the reputations of these institutions, but also to the lives of thousands of students whose academic and professional futures are in limbo. The University of Kerala, the Cochin University of Science and Technology, and the Mahatma Gandhi University ranked between 9th and 11th places among State public universities in the NIRF India Rankings 2024. Their progress risks being undone by continued administrative paralysis and the increasing politicisation of academic governance.
Kerala’s universities deserve better. They cannot be made pawns in an ideological war; they need autonomy, leadership, and stability. If the State’s constitutional actors cannot rise above their entrenched positions, the students, and the credibility of Kerala’s academic institutions, will ultimately have to pay the price.
Published – July 21, 2025 12:51 am IST
