New Delhi, Nov. 4 -- The central government's decision to restructure Panjab University's (PU) governing bodies, the senate and the syndicate, through a notification issued on October 28, is legally valid, long overdue, and essential for improving the university's governance structure in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, officials aware of the matter said on Monday. The notification dissolved the existing elected senate and syndicate of PU, replacing them with smaller, largely nominated bodies, ending the decades-old system where registered graduates elected representatives to the senate, the apex governing body responsible for policymaking and oversight. Syndicate serves as its executive arm, managing administrative and financial affairs. The move has triggered a political row, with chief minister Bhagwant Mann terming it 'unconstitutional' and vowing to challenge it in court, calling it an assault on Punjab's rights and the university's autonomy. Student groups inside PU have also intensified their protests against the new changes. On Sunday, two members of Parliament - Manish Tewari (Chandigarh) and Malvinder Singh Kang (Anandpur Sahib) - visited the protesting students. On Monday, Independent MP from Faridkot Sarabjit Singh Khalsa and Congress' Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda met the students. However, senior PU officials cited Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, stating that the Centre was well within its powers to amend the university's governing structure. "The central government, under Section 72, has authority to issue directions and make modifications to the Panjab University Act, 1947, until other provisions are made by law. The central government has issued these modifications, and there is no illegality in this," a university official said, requesting anonymity, adding that the law department of the Union government had been consulted before issuing the notification. Panjab University, originally established in Lahore in 1882 and reconstituted in Chandigarh under the Punjab University Act, 1947, became an inter-state body corporate after the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, which created Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Under Section 72 of the Act, the central government assumed administrative authority over the university, replacing the "Government of Punjab" in the 1947 Act. This section empowers the Centre to issue directions and make modifications to the laws governing the university. Governance reforms at PU began under former VC Arun Kumar Grover after a NAAC peer team visit in 2015. A committee led by justice (retd) Bharat Bhushan Parsoon submitted its recommendations in 2018, suggesting structural changes. Following the implementation of NEP 2020, the UGC directed PU to initiate governance reforms. In February 2021, then chancellor and vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu formed an 11-member panel chaired by RP Tiwari, VC of Central University of Punjab, which proposed reducing the senate's strength from 93 to 47 and shifting from elected to appointed members. "The Centre's decision to restructure the PU Senate is a welcome move," said VS Chauhan, former NAAC chairman and member of the 11-member reform panel. "We had recommended replacing elections for 15 registered graduates with nominations of eminent alumni by the chancellor and giving preference to university and college academicians - both of which the government has accepted," he added. The new senate will now have 31 members (24 nominated and 7 ex-officio) instead of 90 (85 elected and 5 ex officio), while the syndicate will continue to consist of 15 members. The representation of Punjab remains unchanged, officials clarified - with the Punjab CM, chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court, and Punjab education minister continuing as ex-officio members. Financially, the Centre provides the bulk of PU's support - around 85% to 87% of total funding, PU officials said. In FY 2024-25, the Centre released Rs.593.62 crore, while the Punjab government contributed Rs.90.49 crore (13.22%). UGC funding rose from Rs.278 crore in 2022-23 to Rs.346 crore in 2023-24, and a one-time grant of Rs.175 crore was sanctioned for pay arrears. Punjab speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan termed the move "a direct attack" on the federal structure of the nation. He said the state government would challenge it in court. The Punjab BJP accused the state government of spreading misinformation. "Consultations will be held with all stakeholders to ensure that state's interests are protected," the party said....