Maharashtra’s Governor-Chancellor enjoys autonomy in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, apart from having the power to remove VCs; set aside decisions of universities including the appointment of teachers; and remove members of bodies and authorities coming under the universities. The Governor, however, doesn’t have the power to initiate inspection of universities or inquiries into their working. This has been observed in an inter-State comparative study report submitted to President Pranab Mukherjee in November 2013.
The position of Governor-Chancellor in Maharashtra has not been disturbed under the Maharashtra Public Universities Act of 2017, which is applicable to 11 universities that do not handle agricultural sciences. The report had been prepared, after identifiying 12 parameters that determined the powers of Governor-Chancellors. It analysed the situation in nine States – Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Haryana and the then undivided Andhra Pradesh.
The group consisted of the then Governors of Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, Kerala and Goa, besides Lieutenant Governors of Delhi, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The study is relevant to Tamil Nadu as far as the power to remove Vice-Chancellors is concerned. According to the 2013 study, such power is also available to Governors of Bihar, Karnataka and Haryana in addition to undivided Andhra Pradesh. The Governors, in their report, had recommended that the power should lie with them. In this regard, they pointed out that a similar recommendation was made by a Committee of Governors in 1997.
Graft allegations
In the last 10 years in Tamil Nadu, allegations of corruption against many Vice-Chancellors became common. In August 2009, the government was in a fix following the filing of a case of corruption against the then Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Coimbatore R. Radhakrishnan, as there was no specific legal provision regarding the removal of Vice-Chancellor. After deliberations, the government decided to suspend him in “public interest” till the remainder of the VC’s term. He was convicted last year.
In August 2014, a Bill was tabled in the Assembly, empowering the Governor-Chancellor to remove VCs. However, this bill has not yet received the assent of the President.
M. Anandakrishnan and S. P.Thyagarajan, academicians, say there are enough powers vested with the Governor-Chancellor under existing laws.
Dr. Anandakrishnan says that with regard to the appointment of teachers, the Governor should act immediately following receipt of complaints of irregularities. Dr. Thyagarajan says even though the Governor cannot interfere with the day-to-day functioning of universities, he or she is the appellate authority, thus enabling him or her to give appropriate directions to Vice-Chancellors.
