Guv Koshiyari begins hunt for Mumbai univ VC, overlooks amendment

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari has sidelined amendments made to the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, which were made last year and begun the hunt for a new Vice-Chancellor for the University of Mumbai.

Koshiyari has notified the management council of the University of Mumbai to start the process to appoint a new Vice-Chancellor for which, he has asked the management and the academic council to hold a joint meeting to nominate a member to the search panel.

The Maharashtra government had amended the Maharashtra Public Universities Act in December last year, according to which the state would receive the list of five VC nominees picked by the selection panel, choose two from the list and send it to Raj Bhavan for the Governor, who is the Chancellor of universities in the state, to finally declare the candidate. As per the amendments, the same process should be followed to appoint pro-VCs as well.

However, as per the governor’s direction, the Mumbai University has called for a joint meeting of the academic and management councils on April 18.

This means that the governor and the councils would bypass the state government — even ignore the amendment — to find the new VC.

The current Mumbai University VC, Suhas Pednekar, is set to retire before he completes five years as he turns 65 years old.

Also read: Governors’ role as VC faces challenge as states call out ‘central interference’

During the last few selection processes, the management council and the academic council had given the Governor full authority to pick the selection panel.

The VC search panel would be headed by a person nominated by the Governor, a member recommended by the management council and the third by the academic council.

After its selection, this committee would invite applications, shortlist candidates, interview them and suggest five names to the Chancellor, who then will select one for the post of VC.