Bhagwant Mann writes to Punjab governor, asks him to rethink on removal of Punjab Agricultural University vice- chancellor

CHANDIGARH: Two days after Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to remove the Punjab Agricultural University vice- chancellor (VC), Mann on Thursday sent a 5-page letter in English to the former, explaining the "unanimous" decision of his government and asking the governor to rethink on the VC's removal.
In his earlier one-page letter in Punjabi, the CM had accused the governor of regularly "interfering" in the functioning of his government, but this one didn't refer to it.
Renowned biotechnologist Satbir Singh Gosal was appointed PAU VC on August 19, but the Punjab governor, who is chancellor of the university, had on October 18 asked Mann to remove the VC as he had been appointed "illegally" and without following the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and without the chancellor’s approval.
The Punjab Raj Bhawan received the CM's let- ter written in response to the governor’s DO letter of October 18, ex- plaining the provision of the Haryana and Punjab Agricultural Universities Act, 1970, to justify PAU VC’s appointment ‘strictly on merit’.
The chief minister also requested the governor to reconsider the observa- tions made in his DO letter ordering removal of the VC.
The chief minister said that on the basis of the ap- plications invited for the post on March 31, the screening committee had recommended three candidates Satbir Singh Gosal, Lakhwinder Singh Randhawa and Navtej Singh Bains.
“The Board in its meeting held on August 19 under the chairmanship of chief secretary Punjab unanimously decided to appoint Gosal as VC of PAU.”
Meanwhile, state BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma said that PAU rules are very clear that if the board of management fails to appoint the vice-chancellor within two months of the vacancy, then the matter should be brought to the no- tice of the chancellor so that he can make the appointment.
Former PAU VC Baldev Singh Dhillon had relinquished the charge on June 30, 2021, after which IAS officers Anirudh Tewari, DK Tewari and Sarvjit Singh have remained acting vice- chancellors of the varsity. Sharma said though the board could not appoint the VC since June 30 last year, it also failed to bring this matter to the notice of the chan- cellor, governor Purohit.
Section 15(1) of the Pun- jab Agriculture University (PAU) Act, 1970 reads, “The vice-chancellor shall be a wholetime officer of the corresponding University and shall be appointed by the Board in the prescribed manner:'' As per Section 2 (e), “Where the Board fails to appoint the VC in the manner prescribed in section 15 of the Act within 2 months of the receipt of intimation of the vacancy, the matter shall be reported to the chancellor to enable him to make the appointment.”
Sharma, former senator of the Panjab University, further added that the UGC regulations of 2018 have an overriding effect on the state legislation and it says that the chancellor of the university, who is the governor, has the power to ap- point the vice chancellor.