Centre hits pause on PU overhaul

The Centre has put on hold its controversial overhaul of Panjab University’s governance, four days after notifying sweeping changes that triggered student protests and a political storm across Punjab and Chandigarh.

Two fresh notifications issued late Tuesday by the Ministry of Education, copies of which are with The Tribune, first rescinded the October 30 order and then issued another directing that “the Punjab University Act, 1947 (East Punjab Act 7 of 1947), shall have effect from the date, as appointed by the Central Government, subject to the following modifications”. This means the changes remain valid in law but will only take effect when the Centre issues a fresh notification.

* The Tribune had broken the story

Oct 30: Centre notifies PU overhaul under Section 72 of Punjab Reorganisation Act

Nov 1-3: The Tribune breaks story; political uproar over issue; Opposition, students and farmers protest

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Nov 4 (late night): Centre issues two new notifications — rescinds October 30 order, defers implementation to a fresh date.

* What it means

The Centre has paused, not reversed, the university’s restructuring. The reforms stay on record but await a new enforcement date — a tactical retreat aimed at easing political heat while keeping the door open for future implementation.

The Tribune was the first to break the story on Saturday, setting off a political firestorm that united opposition parties, students and farmers against the BJP-led Centre. The issue quickly became a flashpoint between academic reform and political control, with critics branding it “unconstitutional” and “anti-federal.”

Sources said the pause decision came after the BJP’s Punjab cadres reached out to the high command, warning that the move had sparked a strong backlash and could impact the party’s prospects in the November 11 Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll and even the 2027 Punjab elections, which the BJP has been eyeing to capture.

The state unit reportedly told the leadership that the controversy was being portrayed as an “anti-Punjab” act comparable to the 2020 farm laws, repealed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 after year-long protests. Though the central leadership was initially unmoved, it finally opted for a temporary pause amid escalating protests.

Officials clarified that the November 4 move did not revoke the university reforms. “Only the implementation has been deferred. The modifications notified on October 30 stand and will take effect from a new date to be appointed later,” said a senior source.

The rescinded October 30 notification had amended the Punjab University Act, 1947, slashing the Senate’s strength from 90 to 31, abolishing the Graduate Constituency, and turning the Syndicate into a fully nominated executive body. It also brought in new ex officio members such as the Chandigarh MP, the Punjab Chief Secretary and the Education Secretary, aiming to “depoliticise” the university and streamline decision-making.

The Centre maintained that the reforms were long overdue to end factionalism and restore academic focus. Former MP and 11-time PU Senator Satya Pal Jain, who was on the Administrative Reforms Committee, told The Tribune that the changes were “constitutionally sound, legally valid and in line with Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.”

However, the decision provoked an unprecedented political backlash. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann termed it “dictatorial and unconstitutional,” while Congress MP Manish Tewari called it “a legal travesty” that “violates the federal spirit”. Former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the move “destroys one of India’s oldest democratic traditions in university governance”. Punjab ministers Harjot Singh Bains and Harpal Singh Cheema, along with Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, also assailed the Centre, accusing it of trying to “usurp Punjab’s rights”.

Meanwhile, AAP’s Chandigarh unit held a candlelight march at the Sector 17 Plaza. The issue sparked a ruckus in the Municipal Corporation’s General House, where AAP councillors tried to raise it. On the university campus, students locked Gate No. 2 and gheraoed officials, continuing their sit-in against the move.

In contrast, several academics, including former Vice Chancellors Prof KN Pathak and Prof Arun Grover, Gurugram University VC Prof Sanjay Kaushik and former PUTA president Promila Pathak, backed the reforms as “timely, transformative and necessary to restore academic integrity.”