The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that governors as chancellors of universities are to act independent of state governments for appointment of vice-chancellors and quashed Kannur University VC’s reappointment, terming it as ‘unwarranted interference” by the Kerala government – a verdict which also underscored the autonomous powers conferred on the governor to conduct the affairs of a university as the chancellor. The bench quashed reappointment of G Ravindran as VC of Kannur University in 2021 after it found that state had overreached its powers to reappoint its nominee.