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

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi has declared the Tamil Nadu government’s notification regarding a three-member search panel for selecting a vice-chancellor of Madras University as void. He directed the state government to withdraw it. The notification, published in the Tamil Nadu government gazette on September 13, had omitted the University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman’s nominee, which the governor had included in the committee.
Governor Ravi had announced four-member V-C search committees for the University of Madras, Bharathiar University, and Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University on September 6. The University of Madras search panel had former vice-chancellor of Central University of South Bihar, H C S Rathore, as the UGC chairman’s nominee.
The state government’s notification stated that Battu Satyanarayana, the vice-chancellor of C

entral University of Karnataka, would be the convener of the committee as the chancellor’s nominee. The committee also includes former IAS officer K Deenabandhu and former vice-chancellor of Bharathidasan University, P Jagadeesan, as members.
While the state government reiterated its position that existing Acts and university statutes do not require a nominee from the UGC in search committees, Raj Bhavan insisted on a UGC nominee in V-C search committees, citing UGC regulations and court judgments.
“The Governor issued a notification on September 6, notifying the search-selection committee for identifying candidates for the appointment of the V-C of the University, and the same was published 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 decision of the Supreme Court and in violation of the same,” Raj Bhavan said in a release.
“The said notification published on September 13 is void ab initio, being contrary to the UGC regulations and the order of the Supreme Court. The said publication in the government gazette is without any such authority from the chancellor, being the head of the University, and the principal secretary to the government, higher education department, has no role in the affairs of the university. The Chancellor has called upon to withdraw the notification published in the Tamil Nadu government gazette extraordinary,” it added.