Chennai: The ongoing conflict between Tamil Nadu’s governor and government over search committees in state universities of which the Governor is the Chancellor escalated on Wednesday.
Governor R N Ravi had asked the state government to recall its notification dated December 9 over a search committee constituted for the post of vice chancellor for Annamalai University saying that since it does not include a nominee from UGC and it violates directions of the Supreme Court. In response Tamil Nadu’s higher education minister Govi Chezhian said they have followed rules per the concerned laws of the state universities.
There is a tug of war between the two over including a UGC nominee in the search committees to finalise a vice-chancellor. Though the universities are funded by the state government, the Governor, as the chancellor, gets to appoint the VCs.
The tenure of the vice chancellor, R M Kathiresan of the Chidambaram based Annamalai University, ended on November 23. The appointment of vice chancellors to other institutions such as the University of Madras, Anna University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Bharathiar University and the Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Education University has also been pending for months.
The Governor’s Search Committee comprises nominees of –the Chancellor, Government of Tamil Nadu, Syndicate of the University and the UGC Chairman. The governor had directed the Government of Tamil Nadu, to notify the constitution of the Search Committee of Annamalai University on 25h October, consisting of the above four members, with the Chancellor’s nominee as the Convener of the Committee. The higher education department in a government order on December 9 notified the committee. “The said Notification purposefully excluded the UGC Chairman’s nominee, in violation of the judgements of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” said a statement from the Raj Bhavan. “The Chancellor has called upon the Government of Tamil Nadu, to recall the said notification, which is in difference to the Search Committee constituted and sent for issuing notification and directed to notify the Search Committee for appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University as constituted by the Chancellor, which includes the UGC Chairman’s nominee.” It goes against the prevailing 2018 regulations of the UGC, the governor added and quoted a 2022 Supreme Court order that said that any appointment as a Vice Chancellor made on the recommendation of the Search Committee, which is constituted contrary to the provisions of the UGC Regulations shall be void ab initio (meaning void from the beginning). “The said notification issued by the Government is in difference to the Search Committee constituted and is void ab initio; being contrary to the existing UGC regulations and prevailing orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” the Raj Bhavan said on Tuesday.
The state government on Wednesday said that it is the governor who has arbitrarily appointed a fourth nominee to the search committee. “Every university operates by its specific set of bylaws,” the higher education minister said in a statement on Wednesday. “The UGC will communicate to us directly if there is anything to be communicated. It is not appropriate for the Governor-Chancellor to block actions taken by the state government…Instead of considering the student’s best interests, the Governor is rejecting things being done by the government.”
{{/usCountry}}The state government on Wednesday said that it is the governor who has arbitrarily appointed a fourth nominee to the search committee. “Every university operates by its specific set of bylaws,” the higher education minister said in a statement on Wednesday. “The UGC will communicate to us directly if there is anything to be communicated. It is not appropriate for the Governor-Chancellor to block actions taken by the state government…Instead of considering the student’s best interests, the Governor is rejecting things being done by the government.”
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