Fresh elections to choose V-C search panel members

This comes in the wake of recent State government Ordinance

In the wake of a recent State government Ordinance on selection of Vice-Chancellors, the Bharathidasan University has called for fresh elections to elect new Senate and Syndicate nominees for the Vice-Chancellor search panel.

The University in separate communications sent to C. Thiruchelvam, former Registrar of Bharathidasan University, and R. Murugan of Tiruchi, who were earlier nominated to the panel, has said that they ceased to be nominees of the Senate and Syndicate respectively in the V-C search panel as they did not possess the qualifications specified in sub-section (2) of section 12 of the Bharathidasan University Act, 1981, which was amended by the State government through an Ordinance on May 27, 2017.

Both Thiruchelvam and R. Murugan, an auditor in Tiruchi, were elected by the Senate and Syndicate members of the Bharathidasan University recently to represent the V-C search panel.

While confirming the receipt of a communication sent by the Registrar-In-Charge of the University, upon the direction of Higher Education Secretary Sunil Paliwal, who is the Head of Convenor Committee of Bharathidasan University, Mr. Thiruchelvam told The Hindu that he did not want to comment on it although he was duly elected by Senate members.

As per the Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, the Senate and Syndicate nominee of V-C search panel should be a distinguished academician with a minimum of ten years of experience as Professor in a State or Central University or Director or Head of any institute of national importance. In a related development, the Bharathidasan University has called for Special Senate and Syndicate meetings to elect nominees for V-C search panel on July 15 as per the amendment made to sub-section (2) under Section 12 of the Bharathidasan University.