• UGI USER
  • Nov 13, 2022
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Vice-Chancellors must have served 10 years as professor, be picked from panel, says Supreme Court

Why in News?

Recently, the Supreme Court said in a judgment that a Vice-Chancellor should have a minimum teaching experience of 10 years as a professor in a university and his or her name should be recommended by a search-cum-selection committee.

  • The court referred to Section 10(3) of the University Act, 2019 which provided that the committee should prepare a list of three persons for appointment as VC based on their qualification and eligibility.

What is the Process of the Appointment of a Vice Chancellor?

  • According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018, the VC of a university, in general, is appointed by the Visitor/Chancellor, from a panel of three to five names recommended by the duly constituted Search cum Selection Committee.
  • A visitor is empowered to call for a set of fresh names in case of dissatisfaction with the given panel.
  • In Indian universities, the President of India is the ex-officio Visitor of all the Central Universities and the Governor of the respective states is the Chancellor of all the state universities.
  • Necessarily this system is not uniform in all the universities. As far as the procedures adopted by different states are concerned, they vary.
  • Where there is a conflict between the State University Act and the UGC Regulations, 2018 to the extent State legislation is repugnant, the UGC Regulations, 2018 shall prevail.
    • According to Article 254(1), if any provision of a state law is repugnant to a provision in a law made by the Parliament, which the Parliament is competent to enact, or with any existing law regarding any matter in the Concurrent List, then the Parliamentary law would prevail over the State law.

What is the Role of Vice-Chancellor?

  • As per the constitution of the University, the Vice- Chancellor (VC) is considered the ‘Principal Academic and Executive Officer of the University’.
  • As head of the University, he/she is expected to function as a ‘bridge’ between the executive and the academic wing of the university.
  • It is to facilitate this expected role that universities are always in search of persons with values, personality characteristics and integrity in addition to academic excellence and administrative experience.
  • The reports of the Radhakrishnan Commission (1948), Kothari Commission (1964-1966), Gnanam Committee (1990) and Ramlal Parikh Committee (1993) have highlighted the importance of the role of VC in maintaining the quality and relevance of universities, in addition to its growth and development, keeping in view, the much-needed changes from time to time.
  • He shall be the ex-officio Chairman of the Court, Executive Council, Academic Council, Finance Committee and Selection Committees and shall, in the absence of the Chancellor preside at any convocation of the university for conferring degrees.
  • It shall be the duty of the Vice-Chancellor to see that the provisions of the Act, Statutes and Ordinances and Regulations are fully observed and he should have the power necessary for the discharge of this duty.