Chancellor has supreme authority in universities affairs, says Raj Bhawan

The Raj Bhawan has issued an order to the education department, government of Bihar, saying that the Chancellor’s authority is supreme in the matter of running the affairs of the universities and no outside influence should be entertained.

This comes less than a week after the education department withdrew its advertisement for the appointment of vice-chancellors

The education department had invited separate applications for the posts of vice-chancellors of state universities, days after a similar advertisement was issued by the Raj Bhawan.

However, it withdrew the application on Friday after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar called on Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at the Raj Bhawan and held a discussion to resolve the issue.

“It is observed that public confusion is being sought to be created by certain individual officials, illegally and recalcitrantly, with attempts of undermining the established autonomy of the university administration as well as the clearly laid down and unambiguous power and authority of the office of Chancellor in the matter of running the affairs of the Universities,” says the August 30 letter from Robert L Chongthu, principal secretary to the Governor, to the VCs, with a copy to the department of education.

Maintaining that detailed directions had already been communicated in the academic and administrative interest of the university about the unambiguous power and authority of the Chancellor in 2009 itself, a copy of which has been attached with the letter, Raj Bhawan has ordered that henceforth, “all VCs and other statutory officials/authorities of the universities are required to comply with the directions of the Chancellor’s secretariat only”.

In a bid to clearly define the authority of the Chancellor in matters of higher education, the then Governor Devanand Konwar had in 2009 issued an order to all VCs of the state universities, outlining the jurisdiction of the Raj Bhawan in the academic as well as administrative matters.

“In order to clarify the matter authoritatively and once for all, the Chancellor in exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 9 Sub- Sections (7) (ii) and (8) of the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, considers it necessary to issue direction to the Universities and, accordingly, to order that henceforth all VCs and other statutory officials/authorities of the universities are required to carry out faithfully the orders/directions of, and to seek guidelines and clarifications from, the Chancellor’s secretariat alone in the domains of administrative and academic affairs and the interest of the Universities,” says the letter. HT has seen a copy of the letter.

“It is further clarified that the VCs are in no position to feel obliged to heed in this regard any orders or directives issued without authority and jurisdiction over the statutorily ordained university affairs by any person in derogation to clearly defined autonomy of the universities,” it adds.

Chongthu has written that he has been directed to reiterate the orders and request to kindly take immediate necessary action and comply with them in its letter & spirit forthwith.

The ongoing process of the Raj Bhawan is the one initiated in line with the 2013 Supreme Court directives.

The process for appointing VCs will now involve screening applications and interaction with the search committee. The incumbent VCs in several universities will complete their terms in September, and the last date for submitting applications is 27 August.