Appointment of V-Cs in violation of UGC norms null and void, can lead to legal complications: UGC tells TN

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission has written to the Tamil Nadu chief secretary, objecting to the constitution of search-cum-selection committees for the appointment of vice-chancellors to state universities without a nominee of the commission chairman, sources said.

Referring to a notification dated September 13 in the Tamil Nadu government gazette to constitute a search committee to recommend a panel of three persons for the selection of vice-chancellor for the University of Madras, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has warned that the appointment of a vice-chancellor in violation of the higher-education regulator's norms shall be "null and void" and can lead to legal complications.

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"The UGC has pointed out a Supreme Court judgement from last year, referring to the appointment of the vice-chancellor at Sardar Patel University, Gujarat.

The Supreme Court had noted that the appointment of vice-chancellors cannot be made dehors the applicable UGC regulations, even if the State Act concerned prescribes diluted eligibility criteria vis-à-vis the criteria prescribed by UGC regulations," a source said.

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and the state's DMK-led government have been at loggerheads about the appointments of vice-chancellors. The present issue began on September 6 after the governor announced the constitution of three search-cum-selection committees to appoint vice-chancellors to three institutions -- the University of Madras, Bharathiar University in Coimbatore and the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University in Chennai.

He also introduced a fourth member in the committee by nominating a person on behalf of the UGC chairman. On September 13, the state's higher education department issued a notification for a search-cum-selection committee by excluding the nominee of the UGC chairman, which, the governor termed an "act of impropriety" and demanded the state withdraw the notification.

There has been no vice-chancellor for the University of Madras for four months and for nine months for Bharathiar University and the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University.