Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has cleared an amendment that allows for the removal of pro-vice-chancellors. The proposed change empowers the management council to remove a pro-vice-chancellor on the recommendation of the vice-chancellor. Experts called it a “dangerous” amendment. Up until now, the removal of the pro-vice-chancellor after being recommended by the vice-chancellor, needed the final nod of the chancellor.As detailed in the bill cleared on Tuesday, removal can be triggered under defined circumstances—ranging from proven misconduct and insolvency to physical incapacity, breach of service conditions, or actions deemed detrimental to the university or political involvement. Under all these, the pro-vice-chancellor will be given an opportunity to respond before any final decision is taken.“The pro-vice-chancellor has a set of important responsibilities and removing him from this position on the whims of the vice-chancellor is a rather dangerous move,” said a former vice-chancellor.The amendment is part of a wider overhaul of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, aimed at aligning governance structures with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Other changes include provisions for temporary appointment of deans for up to six months during vacancies, and the creation of the Maharashtra State Academic and Research Council (MahaSARC), a new advisory body that will guide academic and research priorities across institutions.
