President Droupadi Murmu has returned the Tamil Nadu governmentâs three-year-old bill seeking to vest powers with the State to appoint and remove the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras, reviving debate over control of state university administration.The bill, passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly in April 2022, proposed to transfer authority traditionally exercised by the Governor as Chancellor to the State government. After being reserved for Presidential assent, it remained pending for nearly three years before being sent back without approval.
The move is expected to intensify the ongoing tussle between the State government and the Raj Bhavan over higher education governance.
The Tamil Nadu government is likely to consult legal experts on the next course of action, which may include reintroducing or revising the legislation.