Governor “stays” decisions of DUK BoG Meeting

Governor Rajendra Arlekar, who also serves as the Chancellor of the Digital University Kerala (DUK), has reportedly stayed the implementation of decisions taken at a recent meeting of the university’s Board of Governors (BoG). The move comes on the basis of allegations that the BoG meeting was convened by its chairperson whose term had allegedly expired. It is also alleged that the meeting was conducted without the required quorum. The Governor also directed Vice-Chancellor Saji Gopinath to produce all records and files related to the BoG meeting.

While it is alleged that the term of the BoG chairperson, Prof. Vijay Chandru, had ended in 2024, three years after his appointment in November 2021, the university has maintained that its governing law does not specify a fixed term for the chairperson.

According to DUK officials, the Chancellor had granted permission for conducting the BoG and had then directed that no issues other than administrative matters should be taken up for decision-making. It was also directed that the proceedings of the meeting should be submitted as a report.