The Supreme Court order quashing the reappointment of Kannur University vice-chancellor Gopinath Ravindran, citing “unwarranted interference made by the state government”, has come as a huge blow to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala. It’s the second time the state government faced a setback from SC over the appointment of VCs. The SC had in October 2022 declared void ab initio the selection of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University former VC MS Rajasree. The apex court cancelled her appointment for flaws in her selection process.