The Tamil Nadu government has issued a notification appointing a three-member search committee to recommend a panel of three names for the vacant Vice-Chancellor (V-C) position at the University of Madras, despite Governor R.N. Ravi’s prior notifications. The Governor’s notifications, issued on September 6, constituted four-member V-C ‘search-cum-selection’ committees for several universities, including the University of Madras.
This move has sparked a dispute between the Raj Bhavan and the State government, with the latter asserting that the Governor’s action was unilateral and violated university statutes. The State government’s notification, dated September 13, 2023, includes Battu Satyanarayana, V-C of the Central University of Karnataka, as the Governor/Chancellor’s nominee and Convener of the committee, along with two other members.
However, it omits the fourth member, a nominee of the University Grants Commission Chairman, who was present in the Governor’s notification.