President flags conflict with UGC regulations and autonomy norms

In a move reflecting a long-standing confrontation between state governments and Governors over the control of state education, President Droupadi Murmu has returned the Tamil Nadu University of Madras Amendment Bill to the state Legislative Assembly for reconsideration, official sources said on Tuesday.

The Bill was sent back amid intensified attempts by state governments to exercise greater control over the office of Vice Chancellors (VCs) in state-run universities , a trend most visible in Opposition-ruled states such as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The legislation had been forwarded to the President for assent after being reserved by Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi.

Passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly in April 2022, the Bill sought to amend the University of Madras Act to transfer the power to appoint and remove the Vice Chancellor from the Governor, who acts as the ex-officio Chancellor, to the state government . This was proposed by replacing the term “chancellor” with “government” in the Act governing the 168-year-old University of Madras, which has been functioning without a regular VC for more than two years.

The primary reason for returning the Bill , sources said, relates to concerns that the proposed amendments could be inconsistent with University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations , which prescribe a search committee-based, autonomous process for VC appointments. The Governor had earlier flagged that allowing direct government control over appointments may undermine institutional autonomy and violate established national norms for higher education governance.

There were also constitutional and federal considerations , with apprehensions that excessive state interference in university administration could erode the balance between the roles of Governors, state governments and regulatory bodies like the UGC. On these grounds, the President has sent the Bill back to the Assembly rather than granting assent.

The development highlights a broader and persistent governance crisis in Tamil Nadu’s higher education sector. At present, 14 of the 22 state universities , including the University of Madras, are being run by convenor or interim committees due to the absence of regular Vice Chancellors.

A similar impasse is unfolding in West Bengal , where the Trinamool Congress-led government and Governor C V Ananda Bose have been locked in repeated confrontations over VC appointments and university administration. Several universities in the state continue to function without permanent heads, leading to academic uncertainty and legal disputes.

Education experts note that the conflict stems from overlapping constitutional roles , with Governors asserting their authority as Chancellors and elected state governments insisting that publicly funded universities should be accountable to them. The Centre, through UGC regulations, has consistently stressed uniform standards and the need to shield universities from overt political control .