Ciza Thomas, Saji Gopinath V-Cs as government, Governor reach truce

Putting an end to the protracted and bitter tussle between the Kerala Lok Bhavan and the State government, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Tuesday appointed Ciza Thomas as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and Saji Gopinath as the VC of the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (DUK).

The appointments notified by Lok Bhavan include Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Dr. It came after Thomas withdrew his long-standing objection to his elevation; Meanwhile, the Governor, Dr. It followed Gopinath’s case and both parties agreed to a compromise formula after a conciliatory meeting held two days ago.

Dr. Thomas was appointed as KTU VC for a period of four years or until he reaches the age of 65, whichever is earlier. Gopinath was appointed as DUK VC for a period of four years.

Official sources said that this breakthrough took place during the last meeting at Lok Bhavan where the Prime Minister invited the Governor to the government’s Christmas reception. Although Higher Education Minister R. Bindu and Law Minister P. Rajeeve had earlier conveyed the government’s stand, the Governor stood firm on his stand and even expressed his displeasure at the Prime Minister’s non-participation in the discussions.

The settlement also took place against the backdrop of ongoing proceedings in the Supreme Court. Frustrated by the lack of consensus among both parties, the top court had asked the search committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Sudhanshu Dhulia to recommend names for the two posts. Lok Bhavan stated that the appointments will be officially notified to the Supreme Court on Thursday.

This development comes after the government’s Dr. He points out that his three-year-old enmity against Thomas, dating back to his appointment by former Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as interim vice-chairman of KTU without the approval of the State government, may be resolved. The decision was taken after the Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of then KTU VC MS Rajasree.

Notably, these are the first regular appointments to State-run universities in the last five years, a period when most institutions were run by temporary V-Cs. Mohanan Kunnumal, Vice-Chairman of Kerala University of Health Sciences, was the only regular appointee during this period. He also serves as the VC of the University of Kerala. He was reappointed for a five-year term in October 2024.