The Karnataka State government is set to amend the Karnataka State Universities Act of 2000 to prevent the Governor, who serves as the Chancellor of all State universities, from nominating individuals for a second term on any university syndicate, irrespective of whether it is the same institution or a different one.
This significant decision arises from recent conflicts regarding the interpretation of the current Act. The Governor has been nominating individuals across different university syndicates, which has led to concerns over compliance with the law.
For example, B.R. Supreeth, whose term on the syndicate of Bengaluru North University was scheduled to conclude in August 2025, received a nomination from the Governor to join the syndicate of Bengaluru City University in November 2024. Additionally, former members Rangappa and Devaraj switched their roles from BNU to BCU and Tumkur University in 2022.
According to subsection-2 of Section-39 of the Karnataka State Universities Act, the law states that “Any person nominated to any of the authorities under this Act shall not be eligible for being nominated or elected for a second term.” While the State government interprets this as prohibiting any individual from serving multiple terms across all State universities, the Governor has claimed it only applies to a second term within the same university.
To eliminate this confusion and prevent further misinterpretations, the State government plans to introduce an amendment bill in the upcoming legislative session. This amendment will clearly state that individuals who have served as syndicate members at any State university will not be eligible for nomination to the syndicate of another university.
Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar emphasized that the Act’s intent is clear regarding eligibility for nominations. “To prevent misuse of the nomination process and ensure compliance, we are moving forward with this amendment to establish that once an individual has served as a syndicate member at any State university, they cannot receive a nomination for a second term, whether in the same university or in another,” he stated.
Published – December 28, 2024 06:46 am IST
