Karnataka government moves to clip Governor's power in V-C appointments

Bengaluru: The Siddaramaiah administration has decided to divest Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot of the power to appoint the vice-chancellor of the Karnataka State Rural Development & Panchayat Raj University, a big move that could widen the gap between the government and the Raj Bhavan.

This decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting held in Kalaburagi on Tuesday where a Bill to amend the Karnataka State Rural Development & Panchayat Raj University was approved.

Further, the government is planning to take control of vice-chancellor appointments in other state-run universities by clipping the wings of the Governor, who is also the chancellor of public universities.

The government is already on a warpath with Gehlot after he sanctioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s investigation and prosecution in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment scam.

Confirming the Cabinet decision on the government giving itself the power to appoint the vice-chancellor at the RDPR University, a minister said: “We are not doing away with the current system of having a search committee to shortlist academics for the vice-chancellor’s post. We will seek the Governor’s counsel wherever necessary.”

The government’s argument is that the Governor has little stakes when it comes to the functioning of a university. “If there is a protest in a university hostel, it is not the Governor who attends to it. It is the government. We are the biggest stakeholder,” the minister said. Sources said the higher education department is drafting a Bill to amend the Karnataka State Universities (KSU) Act.

“The KSU Bill will contain major reforms. It will be placed before the Cabinet after Dasara and then in the winter session of the legislature,” a government source said. Under the existing KSU Act, the Governor is required to appoint a vice-chancellor “with the concurrence” of the government.

But when it comes to the Visvesvaraya Technological University and the Karnataka State Open University -- the two have their own Acts -- the Governor appoints vice-chancellors directly. An expert committee set up to recommend reforms has asked the government to bring VTU and KSOU under the ambit of the KSU Act.

If Gehlot refuses to approve the Bill, the government will consider promulgating an ordinance, it is said.

This is not the first time a government is trying to take control of vice-chancellor appointments. The likes of G Parameshwara, Arvind Limbavali, Basavaraj Rayareddi and Dr C N Ashwath Narayan -- they were higher education ministers -- tried to tweak the existing law.

Cut-off box - CM predicts fall of Modi 3.0 Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed on Wednesday that the Congress-led INDI Alliance would soon form the government at the Centre. Basing his statements on "political developments" Siddaramaiah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not complete his third five-year term.