Kerala universities get new VCs amid Governor-Government truce

Ending a prolonged standoff, Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan have reached a consensus on appointing vice-chancellors to two key state universities, marking a rare thaw in relations between Lok Bhavan and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government .

Dr Ciza Thomas

, a nominee of the Governor, has been appointed Vice-Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) , while Dr Saji Gopinathan will head the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology. The appointments follow recommendations made by the Supreme Court-appointed committee headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and were finalised after a consensus between the Governor and the Chief Minister. Announced on December 16, 2025 , the appointments are for a four-year term and will be formally reported to the Supreme Court on December 18, 2025, Lok Bhavan sources said.

According to official sources, the decision followed a meeting between the Governor, who is the Chancellor of the universities, and the Chief Minister at Lok Bhavan on December 14 . The Chancellor’s office issued notifications on Tuesday formalising the appointments.

The consensus comes after months of deadlock that drew the Supreme Court’s intervention. The apex court had directed that a committee headed by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia recommend names for the vice-chancellor posts after disagreements between the state government and the Governor stalled appointments.

The development must also be viewed against the backdrop of a wider constitutional and political dispute over university governance in Kerala. The state government had earlier passed Bills seeking to replace the Governor as Chancellor of state universities with government-appointed nominees , contending that elected governments should have a greater role in academic administration. Those Bills, however, remain in procedural limbo pending assent, and have been a key factor in escalating tensions between Raj Bhavan and the state government.

Relations hit a low earlier this year following violent protests on the Kerala University campus in Thiruvananthapuram. Student organisations affiliated to the LDF including the SFI, AIYF and DYFI accused the Governor of attempting to “saffronise” state-funded universities. The agitation, sparked by the suspension of then Kerala University Vice-Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal , saw protesters clash with police, prompting the use of water cannons and the registration of cases against 27 SFI activists , including its state secretary.

Against this fraught backdrop, the latest agreement is being viewed as a significant easing of tensions, at least on the immediate issue of vice-chancellor appointments. While the larger legal and constitutional questions over the Governor’s role as Chancellor remain before the courts and Parliament, the consensus has cleared the way for administrative stability at two major universities ahead of the academic year-end.