Kannur university's VC is a criminal, states Kerala governor

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has reportedly accused the vice-chancellor of Kannur University, Gopinath Raveendran, of being a criminal.

Arif Mohammed Khan alleged that the Vice-Chancellor plotted to physically assault him during the Kerala History Congress held in Kannur two years prior while speaking to reporters at Kerala House in New Delhi.

The governor of Kerala's outburst is the most recent in a string of disagreements with the vice chancellor of Kannur University over the latter's approval of the appointment of Priya Verghese to the position of associate professor of Malayalam.

The governor had previously claimed that Priya Verghese's selection lacked merit and that she was well behind other candidates for the position, but because of political support, she was able to get to the top of the list.

The appointment of Priya has also been put on hold by Arif Mohammed Khan, after which the vice-chancellor of Kannur University had threatened to challenge it legally.

However, the Governor sought legal advice, and in accordance with that, the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University will not be able to file a lawsuit against the University's Chancellor (Governor of Kerala is the Chancellor of Universities in the state against which the state government is planning to moot a bill).