The Central government has dissolved the governing bodies of Panjab University (PU). An October 28 notification restructured the university’s Senate and Syndicate into fully nominated bodies. This move has drawn widespread criticism from Punjab’s political parties, students, and academicians.
The Ministry of Education issued the notification. It amended the Panjab University Act, 1947. This amendment reduced the PU Senate’s strength from 90 members to 31. The new Senate now includes 18 elected members, six nominated members, and seven ex-officio members. Previously, the Senate included a larger proportion of elected representatives, including a graduate constituency, which has now been abolished.
Punjab Chief Minister Condemns Action
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called the Central government’s decision “unconstitutional” and “dictatorial.” He stated the state government would challenge the notification in court. Mann described the order as a “Nader Shahi farman,” indicating an autocratic decree against Punjab’s rights.
CM Mann argued the Centre lacks the authority to amend the Panjab University Act, 1947, through a notification. He asserted that such an amendment requires approval either by the Vidhan Sabha (state legislature) or the Parliament. He also linked the decision to Punjab Day, calling it a “gift” from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the state.
Opposition Parties Allege Centralisation
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Indian National Congress (INC) also criticized the Centre. Both parties highlighted concerns about the “centralisation” of control over Punjab’s legacy institutions. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal called Panjab University “the strongest symbol of Punjabis’ academic and intellectual life.”
Badal condemned the decision to nominate Union Territory bureaucrats to the university Senate. He stated this step shifts control from academic to purely administrative and bureaucratic hands. He also strongly criticized the abolition of the existing graduate constituency. Badal urged the Centre to withdraw these decisions, citing “brazen injustice and discrimination against Punjab.”
INC leader Brinder Singh Dhillon, a Panjab University alumnus, accused the BJP government of a calculated takeover. He stated the government first delayed Senate elections, then gradually abolished the graduate vote. Dhillon emphasized that “Panjab University was built by the people of Punjab” and urged students, teachers, and Punjabis to resist the changes.
Student Protests and MP Appeals
Panjab University students have initiated an indefinite hunger strike. They demand the immediate rollback of the Central government’s order. Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari met with the protesting students. He spoke against what he termed a “half-baked affidavit that seeks to stifle freedom of speech and expression.”
Another MP and former student council president, Malvinder Singh Kang of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), expressed solidarity with the students. Kang stated that a university Senate established by Punjab’s legislative will in 1947 “cannot be hijacked by a midnight notification.” He added that reducing the Senate to 31 handpicked members is not reform, but “a bulldozer over democracy” and a “direct blow to Punjab’s constitutional rights under the Reorganization Act of 1966.”
SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal has written to Panjab University Chancellor C.P. Radhakrishnan. Her letter urges the withdrawal of the notification. She cited concerns about the changes altering the institution’s fundamental character by ending Syndicate elections and packing the Senate with nominated and ex-officio members. She stated these actions dilute Punjab’s control over the prestigious institution.
Future Outlook
The Central government’s decision faces ongoing legal and political challenges. Student protests continue, and various political leaders have vowed to pursue legal avenues to reverse the changes. The restructuring of Panjab University’s governing bodies remains a contentious issue in Punjab, raising questions about academic autonomy and state-center relations.