Madras University V-C search panel: Governor tells TN govt to withdraw the notification

Madras University V-C search panel: Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi declared null and void the Tamil Nadu government’s notification regarding a three-member search commission for selecting a vice-chancellor for Madras University. He commanded the state government to withdraw the proposal. The nomination of the University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman, which the governor had included in the committee, was omitted from the notification published in the Tamil Nadu government gazette on September 13.

Madras University V-C search panel: Governor tells TN govt to withdraw the notification

On September 6, Governor Ravi announced the formation of V-C search committees with four members for the University of Madras, Bharathiar University, and Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University. The University of Madras search commission had former vice-chancellor of Central University of South Bihar, H C S Rathore, as the UGC chairman’s nominee.

The notification from the state administration stated that Battu Satyanarayana, the vice-chancellor of C

As nominated by the chancellor, the Central University of Karnataka would serve as committee chair. Former IAS officer K Deenabandhu and former vice-chancellor of Bharathidasan University P Jagatheesan are also members of the committee.

While the state government reiterated its position that extant laws and university statutes do not require a UGC nominee on search committees, Raj Bhavan insisted on a UGC nominee on V-C search committees, citing UGC regulations and judicial decisions.

“On September 6, the Governor issued a notification to the search-selection committee for the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor of the University, which was posted on the Raj Bhavan’s website. “By an act of impropriety, the principal secretary to the government, higher education department, issued a further notification of a search-cum-selection committee by excluding the nominee of the UGC chairman, and the same was published in the government gazette on September 13 without adhering to the Supreme Court’s decision and in violation of the same,” Raj Bhavan stated in a statement.

“The aforementioned notification published on September 13 is null and void from the start, as it violates UGC regulations and a Supreme Court order. The aforementioned publication in the government gazette was not authorized by the chancellor, who is the president of the university, and the principal secretary of the government’s department of higher education has no role in university affairs. “The Chancellor has requested the withdrawal of the extraordinary notification published in the Tamil Nadu government gazette,” it added.