TN: Governor Ravi withdraws notification of appointment of VCs 

The Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan withdrew notifications of the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs) to three state-run universities today, Tuesday, January 9. This move came days after Chief Minister MK Stalin met Governor RN Ravi.

Ravi's move, the first since Stalin and he met following the Supreme Court's recent suggestion to settle their disagreements, came with a catch.

Raj Bhavan stated that it is "confident" that the state government will rescind its announcements and reissue them as per UGC regulations and the Supreme Court and high court judgements, PTI reports.

Though the impact of the governor's notification withdrawal is unknown, it is the first indicator of a possible thaw in the tense ties between Raj Bhavan and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.

The conflict between the state government and Governor Ravi over pending bills, policy concerns, and the premature release of prisoners is well known.

In an official announcement in Chennai, the Raj Bhavan stated that the state government's gazette notifications on the same issue were not in line with the University Grants Commission's (UGC) regulations.

The Raj Bhavan stated that the verdict of V Palaniappa vs Secretary to Chancellor, Puducherry Technological University and others (Dec 2023) mandates that relevant legislative provisions adhere to UGC Regulations 2018.

The governor is optimistic that the "Government of Tamil Nadu would withdraw its notifications" concerning constitutional proprietary and legality, given this "clear enunciation of the law".

According to the Raj Bhavan, the governor is optimistic that the state government will release notifications per UGC standards, following Supreme Court and high court judgements.

The new notification suggested by Raj Bhavan, which will be published by the state government, will establish search committees for "recommending panels of three persons to the chancellor for appointment to the post of vice-chancellors".

In addition, the governor expressed confidence that the state would harmonise the norms "as applicable" regulating various government-run universities with the UGC laws.

The governor "awaits appropriate action from the Government of Tamil Nadu at the earliest in this regard to ensure that the cause of higher education and the future of several hundred thousand students in the state are not adversely affected”, Raj Bhavan says.