Governor likely to overturn Thackeray’s decision on final year examinations

After objecting to the recommendations made by the state higher and technical education minister Uday Samant for cancellation of final year examinations to the University

After objecting to the recommendations made by the state higher and technical education minister Uday Samant for cancellation of final year examinations to the University Grants Commission (UGC), Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari asserted on Tuesday that he has the final authority on the matter as chancellor of all the universities, and the decision for conducting examinations should be taken in consonance with the provisions of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act.

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The move comes two days after chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray declared that universities will not be holding examinations for final year students and they will be promoted based on their past performance. The announcement was made in a live address made by the CM on Sunday.

This may lead to another round of tussle between Koshyrai and the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The Governor had described the announcement made by Thackeray as “unprecedented’ and made “without any profound thinking on the legal repercussions”. He also said that the decision, if implemented, would jeopardize students’ future.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) have opposed the decision and demanded that exams be conducted.

ABVP is the students’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

In a letter to the CM written on June 2, the Governor said that he was “surprised” to learn through media reports that the former had declared that “no examinations shall be conducted this year’” while he was still awaiting a response to his letter to the CM.

Stating the decision as arbitrary, he said that it has violated the basic principle that to obtain an identical degree, there cannot be two sets of criteria, one who has given examination and for the other who has obtained marks on average. “The examinations cannot be made optional”, the letter states.

Koshyari said even though the committee of vice-chancellors constituted by Samant, to analyse the situation and to explore various options available to conduct the examinations, had given its report to the secretary, higher and technical education department on May 6, the same had not been presented to him till date.

Samant did not reply to calls and messages.

Koshyari stated that he had mentioned that the chancellor’s office shall give further directions after accepting the recommendations of the committee partially or fully once the report was received by him.

He added that all vice-chancellors had communicated their preparedness for conducting examinations in a video conference meeting held recently.

On May 22, the Governor wrote to the CM to resolve the issue of conducting final year examinations “without any further delay in the larger interest of students.”

Previously, Koshyari had not taken any decision on the request made by the state cabinet to appoint Thackeray as MLC from his quota to avoid a constitutional crisis amid the pandemic.

Before that, the Governor also did not appoint NCP leaders — Shivajirao Garje and Aditi Nalawade — as members of the state legislative Council, despite being recommended by the CM in December last year.