Nearly four months after Panjab University issued show cause notices to 42 affiliated colleges for flouting norms on appointing regular principals, key Chandigarh institutions, including Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women (MCM) and DAV College,sector 10 remain headless, with the appointment process now held up at the level of the UT administration’s Directorate of Higher Education (DHE).
According to PU authorities, the university has already granted the necessary approvals for advertising the posts. “We have given the required approvals for advertisement of both the colleges’ posts. As per the information provided by the colleges, the matter is currently with the DHE,” said Ravi Inder Singh, Dean, College Development Council, (DCDC) PU. Since the principal’s post falls under the grant-in-aid category, the final call on all decisions regarding the appointment rests with the UT administration. Director Higher Education, Radhika Singh, remained unavailable for comment, despite multiple attempts.
At DAV College, Sector 10, the post of regular principal has been vacant for over three years, since the retirement of the last full time principal in 2022, with the institution functioning under a succession of officiating heads drawn from senior faculty. MCM College, Sector 36, has similarly been without a regular principal since an officiating arrangement was put in place in November 2024. Mona Narang, officiating principal of DAV College, said that while all administrative duties are being carried out as required, the official provisions call for a regular principal, and that the college management is in the process of seeking permission from the UT administration.
The December 17,2025 show cause notice warned colleges that no official correspondence signed by officiating principals would be entertained after November 30, 2025, and sought responses within 15 days, that is, by January 1, 2026. The notice was itself a follow up to earlier communications dated March 26, 2024, and October 17, 2025, both of which had directed college managements to initiate the appointment process in accordance with UGC, NCTE, and Panjab University norms.
{{/usCountry}}The December 17,2025 show cause notice warned colleges that no official correspondence signed by officiating principals would be entertained after November 30, 2025, and sought responses within 15 days, that is, by January 1, 2026. The notice was itself a follow up to earlier communications dated March 26, 2024, and October 17, 2025, both of which had directed college managements to initiate the appointment process in accordance with UGC, NCTE, and Panjab University norms.
{{/usCountry}}Under PU’s calendar provisions, an officiating principal can hold charge for a maximum of six months, after which the college’s governing body is required to initiate a formal selection process. Despite repeated directions, 42 colleges had failed to act, prompting the competent authority to order the issuance of show cause notices.
Former PU officials and faculty members said the prolonged absence of regular principals is eroding institutional governance. “Absence of regular principals impacts a college’s functioning,” a former PU senator said, adding that officiating heads often avoid major policy decisions, resulting in administrative stagnation and weakened governance structures.
College authorities attributed the delay to layered procedural requirements-involving college managements, PU, and the UT administration, particularly for posts that fall under the grant-in-aid category. With the new academic session approaching, officials warned that continued vacancies risk disrupting institutional planning and administrative continuity.