The Tamil Nadu state assembly on Monday passed a bill empowering the government to make direct appointments of Vice-Chancellors in a shift from the current system where the Tamil Nadu Governor appoints Vice-Chancellors from the three shortlisted names recommended by a university search committee.

The development comes at a time when Governor RN Ravi is in the hilly retreat of Udhagamandalam for a two-day conference for Vice-Chancellors.

Chief Minister MK Stalin said the Governor of the state is acting as if it is his “prerogative” to appoint V-Cs and this practice is “disrespecting” the state government.

“There are 13 state-run universities in Tamil Nadu. Earlier, the Governor used to appoint V-Cs on the recommendations made by the elected government. But this trend has changed in the last four years. In states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, V-Cs are appointed by the state government based on the recommendations made by the search committee,” Stalin said in the assembly.

Stalin also highlighted a 2010 report of a commission headed by former Chief Justice Madan Mohan Punnchi on Centre-state relations that recommended that the convention of appointing governors as chancellors of universities must come to an end.

Opposition AIADMK and its ally BJP staged a walkout after the government tabled the bill in the assembly.

The stand-off between the DMK government and Governor has intensified with the new bill to clip the Governor’s power. There are over 10 bills, including the anti-NEET bill, that are pending before the Governor.

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