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COIMBATORE The latest decision taken by Bharathiar University on three-year rotation of headship for departments is at variance with the varsity statutes, long-serving heads of 10 post-graduate departments who had been replaced, reasoned out with the administration on Saturday. There are a total of 38 departments in the university, and the rotation of headship has been planned in subsequent phases for the rest of the departments, it is learnt. According to Bharathiar University Registrar R. Rajavel, the decision on rotation of headship of departments has been enforced in keeping with a letter dated May 22, 2025, addressed to Registrars of universities by the Higher Education Department. The relevant portion in minutes section of the letter states: “The Secretary to Government instructed the Registrars to identify those Heads of Departments in universities who are serving as HoDs in the same department for more than three years and to furnish the list to the Government. He also instructed the Registrars to appoint the faculty in the post of HoD on rotation basis for every three years.” The affected senior faculty who have been serving as Heads of Departments for long have made separate representations to the Registrar, the Higher Education Department and the Office of the Chancellor and Governor, opposing the move by citing the university Statute. An attempt made during 2013 by the university to introduce rotation system for appointing heads of departments for three-year durations on seniority basis could not be pursued further as an amendment had to be made in the statutes. As per Section 45(3) of the Bharathiyar University Act, 1981, “a person appointed as the Head of the Department shall hold office, as such, for a period of three years and shall be eligible for re-appointment”. In 2022, the Madras High Court restored headship to the Head of Physics Department K. Srinivasan on this premise. As per the terms and conditions of service of heads of departments, in the event of there being more than one professor in any Department, the Head of the Department shall be appointed in the manner prescribed by Ordinance 2001, which emphasises on seniority, as per clause I of Section 45 of the Bharathiar University Act, 1981, which states that seniority shall be followed in the appointment. The High Court had also stated in its order that disregard of seniority would constitute violation of the principles of natural justice.
