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Ludhiana senators seek state government backing to expedite PU senate elections
Ludhiana senator Gurmit Singh said at least four cases have already been filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court against the delay and protests are ongoing on campus; another protest by senators is scheduled for October 24
The Panjab University (PU) senators based in Ludhiana have hit out at over the state government’s ‘silence’ over the ‘delay’ in senate elections.
The current senate’s term is coming to an end on October 31 and a date for the elections has not been set yet.
Ludhiana senator Gurmit Singh highlighted that the chancellor-approved schedule had expired months ago. “At least four cases have already been filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court against the delay and protests are ongoing on campus. Another protest by senators is scheduled for October 24,” Singh said.
The Vice-President serves as PU chancellor.
Senators Naresh Gaur and Harpreet Dua, who have taken the matter to court, recalled a similar delay in 2020 when elections were held after judicial intervention.
“We are being told that chancellor approval is required, but the election schedule is already listed in the university calendar. The process can begin with the syndicate’s approval if the university wants,” Gaur said.
Senator Jagwant Singh, who also filed a high court case, warned that dissolving the senate will ‘sever the link’ between the university and its affiliated colleges. He said MP Malvinder Singh Kang, a former PU student leader, has failed to raise the issue in Parliament despite promising to do so.
PU registrar YP Verma said the university has written to the chancellor’s office three times but has not received any response. The city-based senators said the delay may be part of a ‘larger effort to dissolve’ the only elected senate in the country.
State education minister Harjot Singh Bains said, “I have written to the vice-president based on a representation from senate members and urged swift action for the good of the institution.”
