Chennai:
In what’s being seen as a major victory for the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, the state Governor RN Ravi has withdrawn the search committees he had unilaterally constituted, controversially including a University Grants Commission Chairman’s nominee to appoint Vice Chancellors for three state Universities – University of Madras, Bharathiar University and the Tamil Nadu Teachers Training University.
The Tamil Nadu Government had called it illegal and had reconstituted the committees, excluding UGC nominees and had challenged the Governor’s move in the Supreme Court.
The development comes ahead of the Supreme Court hearing over the issue. The state government is also seeking a time frame for Governors to dispose bills passed by the state assembly, to approve appointments made to key bodies like the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission and probe into corruption allegations into former Ministers from the AIADMK.
More than tell bills passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly were pending with the Governor for as long as three years. Some of them aim to clip the powers of the Governor in appointing Vice Chancellors for state universities, in his role as Chancellor. The Governor had returned them ahead of the earlier hearing by the top court. While the Tamil Nadu assembly re-enacted them in a few days making it mandatory for him to give assent, controversially he chose to refer them to the President, which the court observed he can’t exercise that option after the assembly re-enacted for the second time.
Opposition ruled states including Kerala and Punjab too have moved the Supreme Court alleging delays by BJP ruled union Government appointed Governors undermining duly elected governments and scuttling development of states.
The Supreme Court had recently reiterated that Governors ought to abide by the aid and advise of the council of Ministers and had observed that the Governor meet the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister following which a meeting did take place in which MK Stalin urged RN Ravi to withdraw bills sent to the President and grant assent to them soonest and approve other pending pleas as well.
However the Governor citing orders by Madras High Court and Supreme Court over appointment of Vice Chancellors in Puducherry and Kerala, the Governor has urged the state to reconstitute the committees by including a UGC nominee.
The ruling DMK is upbeat over the developments and has called it a major victory. However over the Governor’s rider, DMK MP and legal counsel P Wilson said “Every University in Tamil Nadu is governed by an Act and here we have not accepted the UGC recommendation to include a UGC Chairman nominee. So judgements in the case of of universities can’t apply here. The Governor can’t turn into a judge”.