Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi has turned the domain of higher education in the state into a virtual turf war with the government of MK Stalin, leaving many state-run universities headless without a Vice-Chancellor.

In Tamil Nadu, as in the neighbouring Kerala, the Raj Bhavan is on a collision course with the elected government on the appointment of VCs. This stems from Governors, as chancellors of state varsities, overriding the elected governments in the matter. And the issue is even being dragged to the courts. The Bills passed by the legislature, removing the Governor as Chancellor, are yet to get assent.

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Out of the 20 state universities in Tamil Nadu, six universities, viz., Madras University, Anna University, reputed in the realm of technical education, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU),  all three in Chennai, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Annamalai University, Chidambaram and Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, have no VC. Of these, Bharathiyar and TNTEU are headless for more than two years now while VCs of Periyar University, Salem, and Bharathidasan University, Trichy, are on extension.

Three more varsities – Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore, and Alagappa university, Karaikudi – would join the list with the term of the VCs coming to an end in a few months. Then, 11 out of the 20 universities would become headless due to the ongoing tussle, leaving the varsity administrations in limbo.

It was the constitution of the VC search and selection panel for Annamalai University which has brought the tug of war once again to the fore. The Governor’s office had sent a list of four candidates – Governor-Chancellor’s nominee as convenor and nominees of the state government, university syndicate and UGC chairperson. The fourth one is the bone of contention as the government removed it while publishing the gazette notification on December 9, 2024 as the University statute does not permit it. Governor Ravi, terming the gazette notification as ‘void ab initio’ (invalid from the beginning), directed the government to recall it and notify the list sent by him. He banked on the 2018 UGC’s regulations which required the Chairperson’s nominee in the VC selection panels.

Responding to this, Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiyan, in a statement said “Governor doesn’t have the authority to form such panels and the search committee was formed as per the University statute, which has no place for the UGC Chairman’s nominee.” To buttress his point, he cited the Supreme Court ruling in Jagdish Prasad Sharma and others Vs State of Bihar which made it clear that the state government has powers to frame its own laws and it is not necessary to follow all recommendations of the UGC. He also charged the Governor with obstructing the functioning of the government elected with a popular mandate.

The DMK government received support from an unexpected quarter – the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a constituent of the BJP-led NDA. “No university in the state has the rule that the UGC chairman’s nominee has to be included in the VC search panel. The respective statute and rules of the varsity for which VC is being selected has to be respected. In the absence of any provision to include the UGC chairperson’s nominee, the stand of the state government is correct,”

PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss said in a statement. “The Governor is not vested with the power to constitute the search committee. He has to select from the list of three names submitted to him,” he added. However, in his view the state government should expedite the case pending before the apex court for 13 months challenging the past orders of the Governor for resolving the continuing impasse.