Undeterred by the Apex Court approving all ten pending bills related to the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in universities in Tamil Nadu, Governor RN Ravi has convened a VCs’ conference in Ootacamund (Ooty), in the Nilgiris district, on April 25, 26 and 27, for the 4th consecutive year, asserting his position as Chancellor of Tamil Nadu universities. The DMK and its allies, mainly the Congress, the Left and the VCK, have condemned his decision and are planning to approach the courts to restrain him from holding the meet.
The scheduled conference is facing sharp political reactions from the DMK. Governor Ravi called on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Delhi a couple of days ago and has invited him as the special guest for the event. The Vice President has confirmed his participation.
The conference will bring together Vice-Chancellors of state, central and private universities/institutions from across the state and aims to foster collaboration, share best practices, and explore innovative approaches to higher education in a rapidly evolving academic landscape.
Hon'ble Governor Thiru R. N. Ravi called on Hon'ble Vice President of India Thiru Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Vice-President's Enclave, New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/VHpE8KQcmY
— LOK BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@lokbhavan_tn) April 19, 2025
The government’s move is akin to pouring oil on a raging fire, especially when the DMK has been thanking the Supreme Court for reaffirming the rights of the state, its legislature, and reducing the Governor to a ‘postman’. They have been in a ‘cloud nine’ mood, believing the Governor’s powers had been clipped and that he was shown his place.
In a significant ruling that will have far-reaching impacts, the Apex Court affirmed that Chief Minister MK Stalin will serve as the Chancellor of state universities, replacing the Governor in that role. Without wasting any time, CM Stalin moved swiftly to assert control, holding a meeting with Vice-Chancellors and registrars on April 15 to discuss higher education reforms — a role usually played by the Governor. During the meeting, Stalin stressed the need to shield students from ‘irrational ideas and stories’ — a veiled critique of the Governor’s alleged efforts to influence university curricula.
However, Raj Bhavan, in a statement, asserted that the Governor retains significant powers as Chancellor. It clarified that the court’s verdict only transferred the authority to appoint Vice-Chancellors to the Tamil Nadu government, while leaving other chancellorial duties intact — including presiding over convocations, attending syndicate meetings, and convening Vice-Chancellors for academic discussions. Raj Bhavan stated that for the last three years, the Governor has organised VC conferences in Ooty, a tradition it claims remains within his purview. Officials confirmed that the conference would proceed as planned.
According to Raj Bhavan, the conference aims to include detailed deliberations and interactive sessions on a gamut of issues, covering implementation of the National Credit Framework, academic collaborations among universities, the use of Artificial Intelligence to maximise learning outcomes, financial management in educational institutions, research excellence, promoting entrepreneurship, capacity building for learners, creating wealth through Intellectual Property (IP), and careers in the rehabilitation of differently-abled persons.
https://x.com/rajbhavan_tn/status/1914590036101906804
There will also be a special address by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, on the topic ‘Frontiers in Science & Technology’.
In Tamil Nadu, the Governor is the Chancellor for 22 universities, barring the Tamil Nadu National Law University and the Dr J Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University. Of these 22 institutions, 13 fall under the Higher Education Ministry, while the rest are under the Agriculture and Public Health departments. In 12 universities, the post of Vice-Chancellor is currently vacant.
Interestingly, though the ten bills removed the Governor’s authority to appoint Vice-Chancellors in 18 universities, he retains the power to nominate a representative to the search committees for VC selection in at least ten universities. The Governor-Chancellor retains crucial powers to call for and examine records of any university officer or authority, modify their decisions, or even annul them.
DMK’s former Rajya Sabha MP T.K.S. Elangovan told the media, “Even after the Supreme Court’s decision, the Governor shows no respect for it. The BJP wants to cripple education in Tamil Nadu. Governor R.N. Ravi is blindly pushing this agenda, unaware of the state’s political ethos. He continues to indulge in meaningless activities.” Calling the Governor a “mischief-monger”, Elangovan cited former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai’s long-standing demand to abolish the post of Governor.
Calling Governor Ravi “a mischief-monger”, Elangovan added, “This is the only post in a democracy that doesn’t require public support. All one needs is the blessings of the Prime Minister. R.N. Ravi’s term ended six months ago, yet he continues. The courts must take note. We will challenge his actions legally.”
As part of the DMK alliance, the CPM and CPI have urged the Vice-Chancellors of the 16 state universities not to attend and to boycott the three-day conference from April 25 to 27 at Ooty, being convened by Governor Ravi — which, they said, is a clear defiance of the apex court verdict.
Taking to social media, CPM state secretary P. Shanmugam said the state legislature had already passed a law removing the Governor as Chancellor of universities — a move upheld by the apex court. “The SC deemed the Governor’s delay in approving the bills unconstitutional.”
He said, “Deliberately provoking confrontation by inviting Vice-Chancellors to a meeting he no longer has the authority to conduct is not only contempt of the Supreme Court verdict but also a gross violation of constitutional norms. The state government should formally instruct Vice-Chancellors to boycott the same.”
https://twitter.com/Shanmugamcpim/status/1913909425217167785
Educationists fear that the freedom and integrity of Tamil Nadu’s universities are at stake, as political interference in appointments will further erode the already poor quality of higher education and research. There have been instances in the past — from 2006 to 2017 — where political favouritism and corruption marred VC appointments. Loyalists and relatives of politicians were favoured, or members of dominant castes were appointed for vote-bank politics. A person convicted in a gold smuggling case and lodged in Tihar Jail for two years was once appointed as VC.
Former CM O. Panneerselvam termed the meeting of Vice-Chancellors called by Stalin a disappointing one, as it did not discuss the main agenda — improving higher education — which, he said, spoiled the focus of the event. “Already universities are in the red and no efforts to turn them into black were discussed.”
