Overview
- The Ministry of Education on Friday withdrew its October 28 order that sought to restructure the Senate and Syndicate, restoring the pre-existing governance framework.
- The scrapped notification had reduced the Senate to 31, abolished elections to the Syndicate, removed the graduate constituency, and was issued under Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.
- Punjab leaders across parties, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had condemned the move as unconstitutional and signalled a court challenge before the rollback.
- Student groups under the Panjab University Bachao Morcha plan a November 10 shutdown and demand immediate scheduling of Senate polls, noting the body’s term expired on October 31, 2024; the vice-chancellor said a fresh schedule would be sent to the chancellor.
- The Punjab BJP welcomed the withdrawal and highlighted funding figures, saying the Centre provided ₹3,229 crore to the university since 2014 compared with ₹538 crore from the state.