Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday decided to appoint Prof S Bijoy Nandan as the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University, following the Supreme Court's annulment of the reappointment of Gopinath Ravindran to the key position.

Nandan currently serves as a professor in the Department of Marine Biology at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT).

"CUSAT Marine Biology professor Bijoy Nandan is to be appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University. Orders are awaited," a Raj Bhavan source said.

The Governor is the chancellor of the university.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court nullified the reappointment of Ravindran as the vice chancellor of Kannur University.

The court strongly criticised the Kerala government for its "unwarranted intervention" in facilitating a renewed term for him.

The Apex Court also censured Governor Khan, the chancellor, stating that he did not independently apply his mind despite not being a mere "titular head."