Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to seek legal opinion on PAU VC row

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, October 21

A day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann questioned his “authority” for ordering the removal of Punjab Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Prof Satbir Singh Gosal, Governor Banwarilal Purohit today reiterated that the appointment was “illegal”, and that he would be seeking a legal opinion in the matter.

Appointed 27 VCs in Tamil Nadu

During my four-year tenure as TN Governor, I was the Chancellor of 20 universities… part of the process to appoint 27 Vice Chancellors. Banwarilal Purohit, Punjab Governor

Addressing the media here, the Governor maintained that the state government legally could not interfere in the working of universities. “The government is unnecessarily giving a political colour to my constitutional duty. The Governor is directly associated with the administration of the universities as part of his job profile. There is a clear provision of universities sending a panel of three names to the Chancellor for the appointment of a Vice Chancellor,” he said.

In a letter released to the media, the CM had yesterday maintained that the Governor had “no role to play” in the appointment of the VC. “The appointment has been done in accordance with the Punjab and Haryana Agricultural University Act, 1970. It’s the prerogative of the PAU Board. The CM or the Governor has nothing to do in it,” he had said. Mann wrote that for the past few months, “you have been constantly interfering” in the functioning of the government, which was elected with a huge mandate, and Punjab people were “very upset” due to this.

In a document handed to the media, Purohit said that as per Section 13(XI) of the Haryana and Punjab Agriculture Union Universities Act, 1970, the Chancellor shall be honorary chairman of the PAU Board and the Vice Chancellor the working chairman. He said when the Governor had earlier approved giving additional charge of the PAU VC to Additional Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari in June 2021, why was the permission of the Governor sought if he did not have any powers? He said the Governor had also given the additional charge to DK Tiwari as the VC in October 2021, and again on April 28 this year to Sarvjit Singh.

“During my four-year tenure as the Tamil Nadu Governor, I was the Chancellor of 20 universities. I was part of the process to appoint 27 Vice Chancellors. The Punjab Government should learn from my experience. I can tell you that I learnt there that the post of VC can even be sold for Rs 40-50 crore,” he said.

One-upmanship

Sept 21: Governor withdraws permission for special Punjab Assembly session on Sept 22

Oct 11: Governor rejects Punjab Government’s move to appoint Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander as the BFUHS VC

Oct 18: Governor asks CM Mann to remove Dr Satbir Singh Gosal as PAU VC