Chennai: President Droupadi Murmu has returned the Tamil Nadu University of Madras Amendment Bill, which sought to empower the state government to appoint the vice chancellor of the university.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed the bill in April 2022 and sent it for presidential assent, aiming to address the administrative vacuum, as the university has been functioning without a vice chancellor for over two years.
The proposed amendment sought to replace the term “chancellor” with “government” in the University of Madras Act, effectively transferring the power to appoint and remove the VC from the governor, who serves as the ex officio chancellor, to the state government.
Governor R.N. Ravi had earlier reserved the bill for the President’s consideration, citing potential conflicts with University Grants Commission regulations and established norms for VC appointments.
With the President returning the bill, the Assembly will now need to reconsider the legislation. Currently, 14 out of 22 state universities, including the University of Madras, are being managed by convenor committees in the absence of regular vice chancellors.
The government is expected to deliberate on possible revisions to align the bill with statutory requirements while addressing the leadership gap at the university.
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