Vice-Chancellors must have served 10 years as professor, be picked from panel, says Supreme Court

Source: The post is based on the article “Vice-Chancellors must have served 10 years as professor, be picked from panel, says Supreme Court” published in The Hindu on 11th November 2022.

What is the News?

The Supreme Court has quashed the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor of Soban Singh Jeena University of Uttarakhand for being in violation of the provisions of the University Act, 2019 and the University Grants Commission Regulations of 2018. 

What was the case about?

A challenge petition was filed in the Supreme Court by a Professor whose appointment as VC of Soban Singh Jeena University was set aside by the Uttarakhand High Court in 2021.

The contention against the professor’s appointment was that he did not have the requisite 10-year teaching experience as a professor of the varsity.

What was the Supreme Court ruling on this case?

The Supreme Court said that the Vice-Chancellor appointment has to be made out of the panel of the names recommended by the Search-cum-Selection Committee.

A Vice-Chancellor should also have a minimum teaching experience of 10 years as a professor in a university.

Since the professor’s name was not recommended by the Search-cum-Selection Committee and he also did not have the minimum teaching experience of 10 years, his appointment as VC was quashed by the Supreme Court.