NT Bureau : The Tamilnadu government has introduced a Bill in the State Assembly empowering it to appoint the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University, instead of the existing system of being appointed by the Governor, in his capacity as the Chancellor. Health Minister Ma Subramanian tabled the Bill in the House.
The Bill cited the Gujarat University Act, 1949, and the Telangana (Andhra Pradesh) Universities Act, 1991, which have empowered the respective State governments to appoint the VCs. It also cited the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000, which said that the VC shall be appointed by the Chancellor with the concurrence of the State
government.
In line with the above cited laws, the Tamilnadu government should be empowered to appoint the VCs of State-run Universities, it said.
This is the fourth Bill it tabled in the ongoing Assembly session to empower the government to appoint V-Cs for State-run universities. While two Bills, seeking to empower the government to appoint VCS for 13 state-run varsities moved by Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy were adopted on April 25, the third Bill empowering the government to appoint VC for the State-owned Dr Ambedkar Law University was tabled by Law
Minister S.Reghupathy on May five.
It may be recalled that speaking in the House on 25 April on the two earlier adopted Bills, Chief Minister M K Stalin said though it had been the tradition that the Governor would consult the government, there had been a change in the recent past. During the past four years, there a trend has raised its head in which the
Governor, without consulting and respecting the State government, is functioning as if he has the exclusive right over appointing VCs,’ he said.
The fact that the State government could not appoint VCs for universities under its control affected its administration, he said.
‘As the State government is not able to appoint the VCs for universities under its control this has led to various confusions. It is against the ideals
of democracy,’ the Chief Minister said.
Citing the recommendations of the Punchchi Commission over appointment of VCs and Centre-State relations in 2007, Stalin said ‘there would be a clash of functions and powers.’ He said a total of 19 States, including Tamilnadu, had accepted the
recommendations of the Punchchi Commission.
Soon after the DMK government under him came to power and when the Union Home Ministry sought its opinion on the recommendations of the Punchchi Commission, Stalin said his government had said that powers to appoint VCs for state Universities should not be given to the Governor.
Even Gujarat, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails, the State government appoints VC from the panel of three names recommended by the Selection Committee. In Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana too, the VCs are appointed from a panel of three names recommended by the Selection Committee only with the concurrence of the State government,’ Stalin pointed out. Above all it is an issue concerning the rights of the State government. It is the right of a government elected by the people’, the Chief Minister said and appealed to the floor leaders of all parties to unanimously pass
the Bill..