The University Grants Commission (UGC) may have already started the groundwork to switch to a new policy regime that will deny states any role in appointing vice-chancellors (VCs) in state universities, academics have claimed.

The UGC had recently released draft rules for the appointment of teachers and VCs that seek to give complete power to the Visitor (President of India) and Chancellor (governors) in appointing VCs.

Now, academics have cited the examples of several universities in Haryana, which are currently functioning without VCs, to argue that the BJP-ruled state’s inaction on filling up the posts is a precursor to migration to the new regime.

In Haryana, Chaudhary Devi Lal University in Sirsa, Gurugram University, Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University in Jind and Shri Vishwakarma Skill University in Palwal do not have regular VCs. The state government has neither advertised the posts nor taken any step to appoint in-charge VCs.

A faculty member of Gurugram University said Prof Dinesh Kumar ended his three-year tenure as the VC last month. Usually, the incumbent VC is given an extension or the senior-most professor is given charge till a regular VC is appointed. At Gurugram University, there is no ad hoc VC, which affects its regular academic and administrative activities.

Prof R.K. Chauhan, a former VC of Guru Jambheshwar University in Hisar, said that the process of appointment of a VC should start six months before the end of the tenure of the regular VC. “So far there has been no advertisement for the post of VCs in these universities. It is unusual,” he said.

Arun Kumar, general secretary of the All India Federation of University and College Teacher Organisations, alleged that the BJP-ruled states were deliberately keeping the posts vacant so that they could be filled up when the UGC finalised its proposed policy.

At present, the Union education ministry sets up search panels for the appointment of VCs in central universities by including a nominee of the Visitor while state governments form panels with one nominee each from the chancellor, UGC and the university. The appointments are finally done with the approval of the Visitor and Chancellors.

According to the proposed UGC rules, the Visitor will set up the search panels for the appointment of VCs in central universities. At state varsities, the chancellor will do so. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have opposed the regulations.

“The Centre has decided that the new policy will be enforced despite protests. I think Haryana and a few other states have deliberately kept posts vacant at the insistence of the Centre to publicise the new policy by implementing it in the institutions. This will lead to over-centralisation,” Kumar said.

An email seeking the perspective of Haryana’s additional secretary for higher education Vineet Garg on the delay in the appointment of VCs has evoked no response.