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As many as 181 vice chancellors and academics have written an open letter slamming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged remarks questioning the merit of the process through which university heads are appointed.
In the letter, they said "tweets and open sources of Rahul Gandhi" alleged that the "appointment of vice chancellors is made solely on the basis of affiliation with some organisation rather than on the basis of merit and qualification." Demanding legal action against Gandhi, they wrote, “We categorically and unequivocally discard such claims.”
This is not the first time the VC’s appointment has become a matter of debate over questions around the involvement of state and central governments. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have witnessed similar controversies.
Who are VCs, and how are they appointed?
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A VC is a university’s highest-ranking executive officer and is responsible for its overall administration and academic functioning. He or she is also the ex-officio chairperson of the university’s executive council, academic council, finance committee and selection committees.
The VC discharges all duties of a chancellor in their absence, including presiding over the convocation.
VCs are appointed by the university’s chancellor, who is the governor of the state (for state universities) or the president of India (for central universities). The selection process involves a search and selection committee of three to five members comprising eminent academicians, government representatives, and sometimes alumni.
They are guided by the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018, in the selection process.
The VC’s eligibility depends on the respective Acts of the universities, but they are generally distinguished academics, mostly with a PhD, with significant experience in higher education administration.
VC in the state-governor tussle
The post of VC has long been an issue of tug-of-war between the state governments and governors. This has been witnessed more often in West Bengal.
Most recently, in April, the Supreme Court asked Governor CV Ananda Bose to appoint six suitable persons as vice chancellors from a list of candidates provided by the state government.
This came after the state government alleged that the governor was not giving his assent to the appointments and the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which increased the number of members in the search committee to appoint VCs.
The Bharatiya Janata Party opposed the Bill on the grounds that it would give the ruling party in West Bengal greater control over the VCs’ appointment.
Before this, in May 2022, a similar confrontation took place between then-governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when Dhankhar appointed a new VC for Rabindra Bharati University.
The Banerjee government said that it was a "unilateral appointment". On June 13, the WB Assembly passed a Bill to replace the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of 31 state-run universities.
In 2022, a similar tussle was witnessed in Tamil Nadu when the state government passed two Bills seeking to transfer the governor's power in appointing VCs of 13 state universities to the chief minister. Governor RN Ravi withheld his consent to the Bills.
In 2023, these Bills were re-enacted.
Earlier in 2021, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asking him to amend the Acts of the Universities so that he could remain chancellor.
In December 2022, after weeks of confrontation, the Kerala government tabled University Laws (Amendment) Bills to amend laws relating to the governance of state universities and remove Khan as chancellor.
Before 2020, similar issues have been witnessed in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Removing a VC
According to rules, a VC can be removed from office under specific circumstances such as misconduct, incapacity, or violation of university statutes. The removal process typically involves an inquiry and decision by the university's governing body or the appointing authority (the governor or the president).
West Bengal Governor Bose was caught in the middle of a political tussle in December last year when he removed Buddhadeb Sau, the officiating VC of Jadavpur University, a few hours before the annual convocation ceremony. The state education ministry, however, asked him to continue.
After months of debate, Bhaskar Gupta was named the new VC in April this year.
In March this year, the Kerala governor removed the VCs of Calicut and Sree Sankaracharya universities, MK Jayaraj and MV Narayanan, respectively. He said that these appointments were not in line with UGC rules.
The Kerala High Court stayed Khan’s order concerning Jayaraj but refused to interfere in the removal of Narayanan.
In Maharashtra, a 2023 gazette notification gave the chancellor the rights to take a suo moto action against the VCs and remove them.
