HC issues notice on plea challenging appointment of Punjabi University VC

Patiala: The Punjab and Haryana high court issued a notice of motion to Punjabi University vice-chancellor Jagdeep Singh after a writ petition challenged the legality of his appointment. The bench, presided over by Justice Suvir Sehgal, sought formal responses from the central and Punjab govts and university authorities. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on May 26.The writ petition was filed by Prof Pushpinder Singh Gill, a former senior professor at the university and a contender for the vice-chancellor's post. The challenge relates to the appointment of Jagdeep Singh, who assumed office in May 2025.
In the 180-page petition, the petitioner alleged that the selection process was "fundamentally flawed" and carried out in violation of statutory and regulatory provisions. The plea cited Regulation 7.3 of the 2018 UGC regulations, which requires that a vice-chancellor be a "distinguished academician" with at least 10 years of experience as a professor. The petitioner contended that this requirement was not met.It was also alleged that the appointee's prior roles, including administrative positions such as registrar at IISER Mohali and Central University of Punjab, were non-teaching assignments and therefore did not fulfil the academic leadership criteria prescribed for the post.The petition further claimed that the original panel prepared by the search-cum-selection committee was replaced after a prolonged delay, and that the final appointment was made on the basis of a freshly constituted panel.The controversy traced its roots to the implementation of UGC regulations on July 18, 2018, which laid down minimum qualifications for vice-chancellors.On July 22, 2024, the department of higher education, Punjab, issued an advertisement inviting applications for the VC's post. On Dec 24, 2024, after rescheduling, shortlisted candidates, including the petitioner, appeared before the search-cum-selection committee. In Dec 2024, a panel of three names was reportedly submitted to the chancellor. On April 14, 2025, the petitioner submitted a representation to the chancellor amid reports of a possible reconstitution of the panel. On May 19, 2025, the state govt issued a notification appointing Jagdeep Singh as vice-chancellor.From July-October 2025, the petitioner filed representations, including one before the President of India, and sought details under the RTI Act, alleging inadequate disclosures. On December 6, 2025, the present writ petition was filed before the high court.The high court observed that at least two previous appointments at the university were also under judicial scrutiny.Prof Gill has since been appointed vice-chancellor of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University, Patiala though he maintained that the present petition concerns principles of procedural transparency and statutory compliance in higher education governance.Punjabi University vice-chancellor Jagdeep Singh said court will decide on this matter as the filing of petition alone does not mean that one has been declared or proven as ineligible.