Turbulence Expected in TN Assembly Session Amidst Ongoing Governor-Government Conflict
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Chennai, Dec 21 (NationPress) The upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly session is set to be tumultuous due to the escalating conflict between Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi and the DMK-led state government concerning the appointments of Vice-Chancellors at state universities.
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session for 2025 is scheduled to commence on January 6. The duration of the session will be determined by the House's Business Advisory Committee.
This development follows the earlier monsoon session of the Assembly, which was restricted to two days primarily to facilitate the passage of the First Supplementary Estimates Bill.
Significantly, during the 2024 Assembly session, Governor Ravi chose not to deliver the traditional inaugural address prepared by the state government, instead reading only the opening paragraph before exiting. The address had expressed wishes for “happiness, prosperity, and well-being” in the forthcoming year and included a couplet from the Tirukkural.
As the Chancellor of state universities, the Governor requested the Tamil Nadu government to retract its December 9 notification that established a search committee for the Vice Chancellor position at Annamalai University.
Recently, Governor Ravi also insisted that similar notifications for Anna University, Bharathidasan University, and Periyar University be annulled, citing the lack of University Grants Commission (UGC) nominees on the search panels.
In a statement, Raj Bhavan cautioned that any appointments made by a search committee lacking a UGC nominee are likely to be invalidated by the courts.
In his correspondence to the state government, the Governor highlighted that the notification for the Annamalai University Vice Chancellor search contravened Supreme Court directives by not incorporating a UGC nominee.
Responding to the Governor's assertions, Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan stated that the government adhered to the regulations governing state universities.
While the state government provides funding for the universities, the Governor, in his role as Chancellor, possesses the jurisdiction to appoint Vice Chancellors.
The previous Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University, R. M. Kathiresan, completed his term on November 23.
