Himachal Vidhan Sabha again clears without changes the Bill that Gov wanted tweaked
The amended Bill, originally passed by the Assembly on September 21, 2023, was introduced again by Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar. Explaining the move, Kumar said, 'The amendment Bill was sent to the Governor for assent but was referred back with observations, including a suggestion to add Section 4(3)(1) of the Model Act for Higher Agricultural Educational Institutions in India (Revised 2023).' He added that the Council of Ministers, in its meeting on July 29, 2024, decided to move a resolution for reconsideration and re-passage of the Bill.
Governor Shukla had recommended amendments in line with the Union Government's Model Act, which would have empowered the Chancellor (Governor) to appoint Vice-Chancellors through a selection committee, with inputs from a nominee panel including experts from central institutions such as CSIR. By rejecting these proposals, the Assembly has retained the state government's control over the appointment process.
The development comes days after the Himachal Pradesh High Court stayed advertisements issued by Raj Bhavan inviting applications for V-C posts at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, and CSK HP Agricultural University, Palampur. The state government had earlier withdrawn these notifications as 'beyond the Governor's legal competence,' but Raj Bhavan reinstated them and extended the deadlines, calling the withdrawal 'illegal and unconstitutional.'
Governor Shukla has maintained that under the 1986 Universities Act, the Chancellor alone has authority to initiate VC appointments and is not bound by cabinet advice, citing Supreme Court precedents.
On August 14, the standoff between the Himachal Pradesh government and the Raj Bhavan deepened, with the Governor's Secretariat declaring the state government's August 11 order to withdraw recruitment advertisements 'illegal and unconstitutional'. In an official communication issued later, the Raj Bhavan confirmed the process to appoint vice-chancellors for Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Palampur, and Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni, Solan, would 'continue as planned'. The deadline for submitting applications has now been extended up to 5 pm on August 18.
According to the Raj Bhavan notification, the advertisements for the posts were originally issued by the Governor's Secretariat under statutory powers vested in the Chancellor by Section 24 of the Himachal Pradesh University of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry Act, 1986, as these positions have been lying vacant since August 21, 2023, and May 8, 2025, respectively, necessitating immediate appointments to ensure smooth functioning of the universities.
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