CHENNAI: Long-term constitutional consequences apart, the immediate impact of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on the governor’s duties and powers will be the end of stalemate over appointment of vice-chancellors to nine of Tamil Nadu’s 22 state universities. Many of these universities have remained headless for more than two years as Raj Bhavan had been sitting on the bills.
The AIADMK govt’s Fisheries University Bill, which seeks to rename the university after the late former chief minister Jayalalithaa, too has been pending for more than four years.
Also, these bills also empower the state govt to remove vice-chancellors on grounds of wilful omission or refusal to carry out the provisions of the law or abuse of powers vested in them. Nomination of members to Senate and Syndicate, besides academic councils of universities, will also become the sole prerogative of the state govt henceforth.
“The bills have now become acts, and they would come into force once the state govt notifies them. The governor will not have any more role to play in the appointment of vice-chancellors to state universities,” senior advocate and DMK MP P Wilson told TOI. The state can now proceed with the constitution of search panels for the appointment of VCs, he said.
However, the governor will continue to be chancellor of universities, Wilson said, adding that he would be toothless as all powers, including conducting campus inspections, will be taken over by govt. “Today’s judgment has reiterated the fact that the power of the governor under the Constitution is limited. The governor does not have any vested constitutional right to be a chancellor of the university. The state can make any law that comes under the purview of its law-making power,” said senior advocate K M Vijayan.
As of now, Anna University, Bharathiar University, Bharathidasan University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University have been functioning without vice-chancellors.
Though the other universities may get vice-chancellor search committees, the University of Madras may have to wait a little longer as the amendment to the University of Madras Act, 1923 would need the President’s assent. Now that the state has wrested the power to appoint VCs, educationists urged the state govt to take great care in nominating members to vice-chancellor search committees.