Patna: The Federation of University Teachers Associations of Bihar (Futab) has urged the chancellor and the state govt to amend Bihar’s university laws governing the appointment of vice-chancellors. The demand follows a recent Supreme Court verdict that rendered the existing provisions legally untenable. In its ruling on the Puducherry Technological University (PTU) case, the apex court held that any search committee constituted without a mandatory University Grants Commission (UGC) nominee violates the UGC Regulations, 2018, overriding state statutes and invalidating such appointments.The SC noted that the PTU Act, 2019 did not provide for a UGC nominee in the committee, leading to a violation of the binding UGC norms and rendering the appointment invalid. The apex court further held that UGC Regulations, 2018 override state or UT laws in matters of VC appointments and specifically mandate the inclusion of a UGC nominee in the selection panel. It emphasised that states must amend their university laws to align with UGC norms to maintain standards of higher education.However, both the Patna University (Amendment) Act, 2013, and the Bihar State Universities Act, 2013 prescribe a three-member search committee comprising: (a) an eminent scholar/academician nominated by the Chancellor as chairman; (b) the director or head of a national-level institute, or a VC of a statutory university nominated by the Chancellor; and (c) an eminent academician nominated by the state govt. These Acts do not provide for any UGC nominee.However, Lok Bhawan sources, maintained that since Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar assumed charge as governor, a UGC nominee has been included in all search committees constituted for VC appointments in state universities.Futab working president Kanhaiya Bahadur Sinha and general secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, MLC, have urged the chancellor and the state govt to amend the provisions related to the search committee before fresh VC appointments are initiated. They said the amendment is essential to bring state laws in conformity with para 7(3) of the UGC Regulations, 2018, as directed by the SC, and to prevent future appointments from facing legal challenges.Meanwhile, the chancellor’s secretariat has constituted a five-member committee headed by Jaya Prakash University vice-chancellor Parnendra Kumar Bajpai to examine draft statutes and recommend amendments to existing provisions, according to Lok Bhawan sources.
