Three-year tenure of Vice Chancellors for the University of Kashmir (KU) and Jammu University (JU) has ended and new appointments by Jammu and Kashmir government are awaited.
The Vice Chancellor (VC) KU, Prof Talat Ahmad assumed the office on August 7, 2018 and Vice Chancellor JU Manoj Kumar Dhar assumed the office on July 26, 2018.
But a top official in the civil secretariat said that no search committee has been constituted to appoint the new VCs for both the universities. “It seems the law doesn’t apply to them”, he said.
The tenure of VCs was reduced from five years to three years because of the amendments made in the acts of the nine universities functioning in J&K by government of India after abrogation of Article 370. The amendments were made in the wake of implementation of the J&K Re-organisation -Adaptation of State Laws Order, 2020 issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of J&K and Ladakh Affairs on March 31, 2020.
Tenure of the VC of the Cluster University (CU) of Srinagar and Jammu was reduced from five years to three years. So a constitution of the search committee found a panel of names for the appointment of new VCs for CU Srinagar and Jammu. After that the search committee was also constituted for the appointment of a new VC for Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU), Rajouri. But when search committee was constituted, the VC completed his five-year tenure.
As per reports, VC JU Manoj Dhar was conveyed through a letter that his tenure would be for three years but recently he was verbally conveyed to continue for one more year as he may get an extension.
But a top official said that no formal communication has been sent to the KU VC. Official further said that there is confusion about the tenure which will get clear after August 7.