Sikkim BJP protests equating of private univs with Central University in Governor’s address

GANGTOK, 27 Jan: The Bharatiya Janta Party’s Sikkim-unit president, Padam Bahadur Chettri, has taken exception to the Governor’s mention of the status of higher education in Sikkim in reference to the four universities, including the Central University, in Sikkim. In a press release issued today, Mr. Chettri registers his criticism of this reference included in the Governor’s Republic Day address, protesting that it is regrettable that the three private universities in Sikkim, which Mr. Chettri contends are “illegal”, are equated in the same level as Sikkim University, a Central University.
In his Republic Day address, the Governor states: “The establishment of four universities including one Central University in the State has added a new dimension to the State’s higher education system.”
Mr. Chettri contends that the private universities here are illegal because they have been established under State Legislative Assembly enactments without the President’s assent, “rendering them nothing worth more than the papers on which they were printed.”
He goes on to argue that the Sikkim Manipal University was a private university and could hence not use the name of the State in its name and demands that since education is in the concurrent list, the Sikkim Manipal University of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences Act (Act No 9 of 1995) be sent, “compulsorily”, to the President for assent.
He makes the same demand for the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University Sikkim Act [act No 9 of 2004], the Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management University Sikkim, Act [Act No. 4, 2006] and the Vinayaka Missions Sikkim University Act [Act No 11 of 2008].
“Since the Sikkim Assembly Acts have not received the assent of President, the Universities have not met the legal norms. The degrees, certificates etc awarded by the universities, therefore, may not be legal, since, in law, they do not have existence,” he claims.
He now demands that the Governor enquire into the matter and if Presidential assent for these Acts is not produced within a week, order immediate closure of these universities and order them to refund the fee [at penal compound rate] paid by students.
“It is a convention that Governor has to read out the papers prepared by the Government on the occasion of Republic Day or Budget Session, etc. But as Governor he has to defend the law and the Constitution as stated above. In the present context, since the private universities are palpably illegal, Governor should have omitted the relevant passage in time to save himself from the embarrassment of being charged as protecting, preserving and defending PK Chamling, Sikkim Chief Minister, and not the Constitution,” the Sikkim BJP president goes on to comment.