Saji Gopinath
Ending a prolonged and acrimonious stand-off between Kerala Lok Bhavan and the State government, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Tuesday appointed Ciza Thomas as Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and Saji Gopinath as V-C of the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (Digital University Kerala – DUK).
The appointments, notified by Lok Bhavan, came after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dropped his long-held objection to Dr Thomas’ elevation, while the Governor followed suit in the case of Dr. Gopinath as both sides accepted a compromise formula following a conciliatory meeting held two days ago.
Dr. Thomas has been appointed KTU V-C for a term of four years or until she attains the age of 65, whichever is earlier, while Dr. Gopinath has been appointed DUK V-C for a period of four-year term.
Official sources said the breakthrough came during the recent meeting when the Chief Minister had gone to Lok Bhavan to invite the Governor for the government’s Christmas reception. Though Higher Education Minister R. Bindu and Law Minister P. Rajeeve had earlier conveyed the government’s position, the Governor remained firm on his stance and even expressed displeasure over the Chief Minister’s absence from the discussions.
The compromise also comes against the backdrop of ongoing proceedings in the Supreme Court. Annoyed by the absence of consensus among both parties, the apex 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 would be formally reported to the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The development signals a possible thaw in the government’s three-year-long hostility towards Dr. Thomas, dating back to her appointment as interim V-C of KTU by former Governor Arif Mohammed Khan without the State government’s concurrence. The decision was made after the Supreme Court invalidated the appointment of then KTU V-C M.S. Rajasree.
Notably, these are the first regular appointments to State-run universities in the last five years, a period during which most institutions were helmed by interim V-Cs. Mohanan Kunnumal, V-C of the Kerala University of Health Sciences, has been the lone regular appointee during this period. He has also been officiating as the V-C of Kerala University. He was reappointed for a five-year term in October 2024.
Published – December 16, 2025 10:17 pm IST
