Fellows meet Sunil Jakhar over Senate extension

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27

Amid the uncertainty prevailing over the fate of Panjab University’s Senate, as many as 10 fellows have recently written to BJP’s Punjab president Sunil Jakhar, demanding his intervention to get the tenure of the Senate extended by another year, and met him to apprise him of the issue.

BJP’s Punjab unit president Sunil Jakhar understood the issues like the feeling of Punjabis for PU, need to maintain its governance structure and to ensure that the Senate has full term of four years. Dr Jagwant Singh, PU fellow

According to fellow Jagwant Singh, the Senate, meant to be constituted in 2020 was constituted in 2021 due to Covid restrictions. However, the body was constituted in back date (from 2020), according to which the tenure will end on October 30. “This is in violation of Section 13 of the Panjab University Act, 1947, which mentions that a fellow is elected for four years. Accordingly, the tenure should end in 2025,” Jagwant said.

The letter, addressed to Jakhar, reads, “The people of Punjab have always resisted any change regarding the status of the university. It is for such reasons that the late Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, had to withdraw his letter of consent to convert it into a Central University within two days of its issue.”

The letter states that as per the provisions of the Panjab University Act, the term of present members of the Senate should end on December 19, 2025, and an amended notification to this effect needed to be issued. The members have also demanded that as per the past practice, the next elections of ordinary fellows should be announced in January 2025, so that they are completed well in time for the new members to assume office.

While the tenure of PU’s governing body is to end soon, no notification for conduct of elections or extension of its tenure has been issued. As per the practice, the elections to the Senate are announced months before the tenure is to end, so that appropriate arrangements can be made to conduct election. If the tenure of this Senate ends this October, the university would be without a governing body and the functions and powers would be assumed by the VC, just like when the university was without a Senate during the Covid period.

“He (Jakhar) understood the issues like the feeling of Punjabis for PU, need to maintain its governance structure and to ensure that the Senate has full term of four years,” Jagwant said.

He had earlier written a letter to the Chancellor of the PU, the Vice-President of India, demanding an extension. Along with Jagwant, fellows Varinder Singh Gill, Jagtar Singh, BC Josan, Munish, Ravinder Singh, Rupinder Kaur, Sandeep Singh, Mukesh Arora and Simranjit Singh are also the signatories.