Bhubaneswar: The Government of Odisha has promulgated the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, aimed at enhancing the jurisdiction of the Chancellor regarding the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in state universities under the Odisha Universities Act, 1989.
With the terms of Vice-Chancellors in most universities either completed or nearing completion, the process of selecting regular Vice-Chancellors has begun. However, appointing an existing Vice-Chancellor as In-charge Vice-Chancellor of one or more universities could lead to academic and administrative complications. To address this, the Ordinance introduces key amendments.
The amendment to the Provision to Section 6(10) empowers the Chancellor to appoint a Vice-Chancellor for the time being until a regular appointment is made, ensuring continuity and stability in university governance. Additionally, the Chancellor can now fix the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor.
Other amendments include correcting typographical errors in the existing Act, such as substituting “refuse” with “recuse” in Section 6(3)(iii) and replacing “hall” with “half” in Section 13-A(3). These changes aim to maintain a stable academic environment and ensure the smooth functioning of universities. With this Ordinance, the Government of Odisha seeks to support administrative continuity and stability in state universities.
