'UGC Acting Chairman's Appointment Violates UGC Act': Report
The Wire Staff
New Delhi: The Union ministry of education’s move to appoint secretary of higher education, Vineet Joshi, as the acting chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) has raised questions about a violation of the UGC Act, 1956.
Joshi was given the additional charge of the UGC chairman by an order on April 11. The New Indian Express has reported that the move to give Joshi the additional charge does not align with Chapter II, Section 5(2) of the UGC Act which states: “The Chairman shall be chosen from among persons who are not officers of the Central Government or of any State Government.”
The Act's Section 6(3) further states that the UGC vice-chairman shall officiate as chairman in the event of a casual vacancy.
“If a casual vacancy occurs in the office of the Chairman, whether by reason of his death, resignation or inability to discharge his functions owing to illness or other incapacity, the ViceChairman holding office as such for the time being shall, withstanding anything contained in sub-section (2) of section 5, act as the Chairman and shall, unless any other person is appointed earlier as the Chairman, hold the office of the Chairman for the remainder of the term of office of the person in whose place he is to so act,” Section 6(3) of the UGC Act states.
It also adds that where no vice-chairman is holding office at the time, when the vacancy in the office of the chairman occurs, “the Central Government shall, notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (2) of section 5, appoint any other member to act as the Chairman and the person so appointed shall not hold the office of the Chairman for a period exceeding six months.”
The post of the UGC chairman became vacant after M. Jagadish Kumar, who had assumed the position in February 2022, retired on April 7.
The Union government has said that Joshi's additional charge is purely an interim measure.
“It is purely an interim arrangement, which didn’t arise out of a casual vacancy. Therefore, the question of any other UGC official or vice-chairman taking charge doesn’t arise. The process of appointment of UGC chairman will follow in due course,” sources were quoted as saying to The New Indian Express.
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