Panjab University Senate & Syndicate Altered; SGPC Elects Dhami as President

The Indian union government's Ministry of Education issued a notification on 28 Oct under Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 restructuring Chandigarh-based Panjab University’s two principal governing bodies—Senate and Syndicate. Their appointments will no longer be through elections but through nominations. The Senate and Syndicate of the 142-year-old university—originally established in Lahore in 1882—were constituted on 1 Nov 1966. To increase the say of the Chandigarh Union Territory—long contested capital of Panjab—the Chandigarh Member of Parliament (MP), the Union Territory’s Chief and Education Secretaries have been included as ex-officio members. The Senate, which historically had around 90 members, will now have only 30 members. The Graduate constituency, which was a 16-member body of alumni elected from all over Panjab and nearby, has been completely dissolved. Indian National Congress' Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, also a lawyer, has argued that the union government does not have the authority to alter the university’s governance structure. He said doing so was 'patently illegal and a legal travesty'. The university students have started protesting and have closed the university gate and office blocks. An additional issue is the university authorities forcing students to sign an affidavit which makes it mandatory for students to seek prior permission to stage a protest. The university authorities have decided to withdraw the affidavit. Panjab University Campus Students' Council general secretary Abhishek Dagar went on a 7-day hunger strike demanding the affidavit be revoked. Meanwhile, Harjinder Singh Dhami has been re-elected as the president of the apex Sikh body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for the fifth consecutive term for the 2025–26 session. In the election held on 3 Nov, a total of 136 votes were polled, out of which Dhami secured 117 votes, while his opponent, Mithu Singh Kahneke, received 17 votes. This shows the breakaway Shiromani Akali Dal does not have enough support from members even in the SGPC (earlier coverage).