Amendment to Madras University Act Will Not Go Forward

An Amendment to the Madras University (Amendment) Bill by President Droupadi Murmu prevented Tamil Nadu from changing the way Vice-Chancellor appointments take place within State Universities.

This bill was already approved by the Tamil Nadu Assembly in April 2022, and among other things, the proposed changes would have allowed the State to appoint and remove Vice-Chancellors.

Currently, the Governor has power to appoint Vice-Chancellors because the Governor is the Ex-Officio Chancellor of University, and The proposed Amendment would remove from the Act any reference to Chancellor's Authority.

In reserving the Bill for the President, Governor R.N. Ravi has expressed concern that the proposed changes to the Vice-Chancellor Appointment Process conflict with the VC Appointment Regulation established by the University Grant Commission (UGC).

Ongoing Conflicts with the DMK over Administration Higher Education Institutions

The ongoing tension between the state of Tamil Nadu's H.E. and the state's DMK government has resulted in management problems for the majority of state universities. The DMK government is not recognizing the constitutional authority of the governor, who is responsible for appointing VCs at state universities. In total, approximately 14 of the 22 state-operated universities, including the 168-year-old Madras University, currently do not have VCs or have their operations overseen by committees of academic officials.

The Supreme Court of India has also addressed this issue by delivering a judgment in April that dealt with the governor's role in relation to the legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu and granting 10 of the amendment bills that were introduced into the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2022 automatic approval under Article 142 of the Indian Constitution.