In open letter, sacked Sanskrit university Vice Chancellor blames Kerala Governor for his removal

M.V. Narayanan, who was sacked from the post of Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, has sent an open letter alleging that the irregularities and errors committed by Mr. Khan led to his removal.

M.V. Narayanan, who was sacked from the post of Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, has sent an open letter alleging that the irregularities and errors committed by Mr. Khan led to his removal.

In the letter dated April 5 sent to the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the State’s universities, Dr. Narayanan recalled that the Governor had presided over the entire process of his selection and appointment as the Vice Chancellor.

“Sir, you constituted the Search-cum-Selection Committee, you received the Committee’s recommendation, and you made the appointment based on that recommendation. It was your responsibility to have ensured that the entire process was fully in accordance with the regulations that prevail. If any irregularity has been committed at any stage, Sir, you and you alone are responsible for it,” it said.

Dr. Narayanan had resigned from the post on March 21 after the Kerala High Court declined to issue an interim order against the Governor’s decision. The open letter stated that the Chancellor failed to rectify the errors, if any, while the process of the appointment of Vice Chancellor was progressing.

“You refrained from acting as you should have in your position and failed miserably – one can’t help but suspect if it was also deliberate - in your constitutional role, and then proceeded to act as prosecuting advocate, judge and executioner, cleverly hiding from the view that you were the actual perpetrator of all the errors,” he alleged.

Dr. Narayanan said the Governor failed to fill the post of Controller of Examinations, despite several reminders and nod by the Syndicate to amend the University statutes, incorporating the post. The letter stated that the Chancellor did not reconstitute the academic council, though the term of the previous body had ended on January 31, 2024. The request for providing a one-year extension for the Deans of Faculty also fell on deaf ears, it said.

Dr. Narayanan attached a few documents with the letter to substantiate his stance.