BU amends statute to enforce three-year rotation of headship in departments

Bharathiar University (BU) has amended its statute to pave way for three-year rotation of headship for departments.

During October, 2025, the university had enforced a directive issued at the start of the academic year by the Department of Higher Education, for adhering to cycle of three-year rotation amongst faculty holding the post of professor.

The Secretary, Department of Higher Education, had instructed Registrars of State varsities to identify those head of departments in universities who had been serving as HoDs in the same department for more than three years. The Registrars were also directed to appoint new HoDs.

The existing HoDs in BU had, after making separate representations against the new appointments to the Registrar, the Higher Education Department and the Office of the Chancellor and Governor, moved the High Court citing the university statute in which there was no such provision.

As per Section 45(3) of the Bharathiar 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”. It was on this basis that the High Court had restored headship in one of the departments during 2022.

Likewise, clause I of Section 45 of the Bharathiar University Act, 1981, states that seniority shall be followed in the appointment.

Hearing the petitions submitted by the affected faculty, a High Court Bench had, citing the statute, directed BU to restore their headship.

In an apparent attempt to evade legal wrangles, the Higher Education Department had convened a meeting of the Syndicate a week back and effected the amendments to introduce rotation of headships in three-year intervals.