Without meaningful autonomy, universities in Kerala will be reduced to the status of a government department and their degrees will not be recognised outside the state or by the University Grants Commission (UGC), Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has said. Khan, locked in a tussle with the Kerala government over autonomy of universities, asserted he is trying to save the autonomy of these institutions of higher education in the southern state.

The governor was interacting with the audience on Monday after speaking on the topic, 'Bharat Ki Samprabhuta Aur Aaj' (India's sovereignty in today's times), organised by leading Hindi daily 'Dainik Bhaskar' in Nagpur. Last year, the governor had said the Kerala government cannot be given the power to appoint vice-chancellors (VCs) of state universities.