The Kerala assembly on Tuesday passed the University Law (Amendment) Bill to replace the Governor as chancellor of all universities in the state and instead appoint top academicians to the post. The CPI(M) government introduced the University Laws (Amendments) Bill in the Assembly in the wake of recurring issues with governor Arif Mohammed Khan on administration and appointments at these universities.
The Congress-led opposition boycotted the session after the Pinarayi Vijayan government turned down its suggestion to include retired judges of the high court or Supreme Court in the selection panel of new VCs instead of state nominees. Though the opposition supported the move to replace the Governor, it suspected that only Left-leaning academicians will be appointed as chancellors, affecting the autonomy of varsities.
Also read| Kannur University Syndicate Passes Resolution Against Kerala Governor, Call His Actions ‘Illegal’
Chancellors are responsible for the appointment of vice-chancellors and takes other key administrative decisions. Know the list of states that have done the same:
West Bengal
Earlier, in June, the West Bengal cabinet had approved the chief minister as the chancellor of the state-based universities. Previously, the governor was appointed as the chancellor of state government-run universities.
The law empowered the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, to appoint 31 vice chancellors in state universities instead of the governor. The West Bengal state government had passed a bill in the Assembly to change the current law. To be implemented, the Bill had to get consent from the Governor before becoming an act.
This system was first proposed in 2010 by Punchi Commission, however, it caught heat last year amid tensions between the governor and Banerjee. There were earlier allegations that the state government was making appointments of vice-chancellors on its own, ignoring the chancellor (governor).
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu also, the government passed two bills in April — the Tamil Nadu University Law (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and Chennai University (Amendment) Bill, 2022. It included provisions to empower the state government to appoint vice chancellors, instead of the governor.
Maharashtra
In 2021, Maharashtra government passed the Maharashtra Public University (Third Amendment) Bill, to change the process of the appointment of vice chancellors in state universities. In 2013, the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat state government removed the powers of the governor as the chancellor to appoint VCs. The bill got the governor’s assent in 2015 in the state.
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