TIRUCHY: Governor RN Ravi has extended the tenure of Bharathidasan University Vice-Chancellor M Selvam by one more year, starting February 5. The order of the chancellor has come just two days before the end of the vice chancellor’s three-year term.
Though the Raj Bhavan has not issued any press statement on the subject, the V-C has told the members of the university syndicate about the extension of his tenure.
A special syndicate meeting, scheduled to be held on Saturday through video-conference to constitute a syndicate sub-committee to perform the duties of the V-C, was cancelled after the chancellor’s order to extend the V-C’s tenure.
Bharathidasan University Act 1981 says chancellor may direct that vice chancellor, whose term of office has expired, shall continue in office for such period, not exceeding a total of one year.
“It has been done as per rules and regulations of the University Act but the basis for extending the tenure should be revealed to the stakeholders,” said K Pandiyan, former state president, the Association of University Teachers (AUT) Tamil Nadu. He also said no V-C could be appointed as long as the tussle between the state government and the governor continues. The only option available for the governor now is to extend the tenure of the V-Cs, he said.
Referring to the ongoing tussle, Pandiyan said, if the chancellor does not accept the search committee constituted by the state government, he would also not be appointing a new V-C from the panel of names recommended by that search committee.
Sources in Bharathidasan University said V-C Selvam is respected well in the university. Incidentally, the issue of delay in awarding convocation and degree certificates to students for more than two years triggered a controversy during Selvam’s tenure.