The draft regulations released by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday, January 6, regarding the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs) and faculty in higher education institutions, including universities, could pose a serious concern for the Tamil Nadu government which is already at loggerheads with the Governor-Chancellor over the inclusion of a UGC nominee on VC search panels.
The draft — “UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2025” — proposes changes in the composition of committees formed to select VCs, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
While the Tamil Nadu government had so far taken the position that the UGC’s regulations are not binding until formally adopted by the state in the respective Acts governing the universities, the UGC, in the new regulation, has recommended stricter punitive measures, including debarring of institution from offering degree programmes, for violating the regulation.
As per the UGC draft, the VC search panel will have three members — the Governor-Chancellor’s nominee, the UGC’s nominee, and the third member nominated by the apex body of the university like the Senate or Syndicate.
Currently, in Tamil Nadu’s state universities, the VC search panels are formed as per the statutes of the respective universities. Most universities have a three-member panel of the Governor-Chancellor’s nominee, a nominee of the Senate and Syndicate, and a nominee of the State government.
The earlier guidelines of the UGC mandated that a fourth member, a nominee of the UGC Chairperson, be included in all committees. However, this was strongly opposed by the state government as it would tilt the balance in the selection process towards the Governor and the UGC.
The new regulations, however, will further worsen the State government's position since the proposed three-member panel will not have any state government nominee and it will be heavily tilted towards the Governor and the UGC, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
"It seems the draft guidelines have been conceptualised to target the states which are opposing the governor's interference in state universities as the state government will have no say in the VC selection process," said a VC of a state university.
"It is not acceptable at all if the state government will have no involvement in the selection of VC in a state university," said E Balagurusamy, former VC of Anna University. He added that both the UGC and Chancellor's nominees will be biased towards the union government, and it will create unnecessary hindrances in the operation of state universities.
Several academicians who The New Indian Express spoke to shared similar concerns. "In the past, even the governor's nominee would be actually picked by the state government. However, in the last decade (since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power), the equation changed as governors started asserting their power in selecting the nominees of their choice," said a senior faculty member of the University of Madras (UoM).
On the punitive measures for violation of guidelines, the draft says, "If any institute is found to have violated the rules, it will be debarred from participating in UGC schemes, and offering degree, distance and online programmes. Such universities will be removed from the list of HEIs maintained under Sections 2(f) and 12B of the UGC Act 1956". This would mean that the institutions would be derecognized by the UGC.
Former UoM VC P Duraisamy said, "It will be difficult for the state government to accept these changes and restrictions". He added that the UGC has now specifically mentioned the punishments for violations which was not clear earlier.
