Saurashtra University’s former Vice-Chancellor on V-C search panel

As per one of the clauses in the Act, it is clearly stated that for a search panel, “the members nominated on the committee shall be persons who are never connected with the concerned university or any college or any recognised institution of the university’. However, in contravention of the clause, Prof Chauhan has had a long tenure at Saurashtra University from 1995 till 2019. His associations have varied from being a professor to its Vice-Chancellor.

Chauhan started as an associate professor at the Department of Commerce at the university from 1995 and continued in the role till 2002. He was also the Vice-Chancellor from 2015 to 2018, officiating V-C in 2014-15 and recently professor and head at the Department of Business Management till March 2019 before he was appointed as the V-C of Shri Govind Guru University, Godhra.

Sources in the state government revealed that the ‘error’ has been brought to the notice of the government and is expected to be rectified. Meanwhile, officials in the Education Department revealed that the search committee names were being finalised by the state government. Also, there are certain names that are repeated in these committees.

As per the Gujarat Public Universities Act 2023, the search committee has to consist of three members to recommend the ‘most suitable names’ to the state government for appointment of Vice-Chancellor.

One member is to be nominated by the state who “shall be a most prestigious eminent senior person either from the judiciary or academics or administration”, who shall be the chairman of the search committee. The second is to be the “Director or Head of an institute or organisation of highly national repute established by an Act of Parliament, nominated by the Board of Management, Executive Council and the Academic Council, jointly, in the manner specified by the state government”. Since the board of management, executive council and academic councils have not been formed in these state universities, as per the provisions, the state government has nominated the second name for seven universities.

The third member has to be a representative of the University Grants Commission while the Registrar of the University shall act as the Member-Secretary of the search committee without any voting rights in the committee.