Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has reappointed Dr. Ciza Thomas and Dr. K. Sivaprasad as interim Vice-Chancellors of Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (DUK) and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU), respectively. This follows a landmark Supreme Court ruling on July 30, which upheld the Governor’s authority—as Chancellor of state universities—to appoint or extend temporary VCs for up to six months until permanent appointments are finalized.
The appointments, initially blocked by the Kerala High Court in November 2024 over procedural concerns, have now been cleared by the apex court, which also urged both the Governor and the state government to work in harmony and avoid politicizing academic appointments. Dr. Thomas, a former senior technical education official, resumes her role at DUK, while Dr. Sivaprasad continues his dual role at KTU and Cochin University.
The Raj Bhavan has now called on the state government to expedite the formation of a search committee—in line with UGC norms—to identify permanent Vice-Chancellors. The reappointments mark a critical step toward restoring normalcy in Kerala’s higher education institutions, many of which have been caught in a prolonged administrative stalemate.
