Four southern states gearing up for legal battle against UGC 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala, along with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana, will legally challenge the UGC draft regulations in the Supreme Court. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Dr. K. Ponmudy, and Kerala Higher Education Minister Dr. R. Bindu jointly made this joint announcement during the national convention held in Thiruvananthapuram.

"We demand the withdrawal of the draft regulations, which gives the Governor overriding powers, including in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, while sidelining the states. If the policy is not withdrawn, the states will collectively take legal action," Higher Education Minister R Bindu said.

The Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh and Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab will also join the fight. Education ministers and officials from these states plan to meet with the Prime Minister and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to express their concerns. A joint resolution passed by the state ministers at a conference against the UGC will be sent to the Centre and the UGC.

The ministers emphasized that the UGC’s duty is to enhance the quality of higher education, not interfere in governance. They asserted that the UGC cannot override state laws, and its actions amount to using non-existent powers. The states are planning to approach the Supreme Court by pointing out that the draft regulations, which allow the appointment of non-academic experts as Vice-Chancellors, threaten to undermine universities and ignore state governments. National conventions will soon be held in Hyderabad and Chennai to address the issue.