In an open confrontation, Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Tuesday criticised the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government's decision to cancel final year university examinations on account of coronavirus outbreak. The decision would jeopardise the future of students, he said in a letter to Chief Minister Thackeray. He also asserted that the chancellor of universities -- a position which governor holds ex-officio -- has the final authority over all university matters as per the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, an official statement said. In the letter, Koshyari said the decision regarding holding of examinations of final year students should be taken "in consonance with the provisions of the Act. He was "surprised" to learn through media reports that the CM had declared that "no examinations shall be conducted this year", Koshyari said.

"Describing the announcement of the cancellation of examinations by the chief minister as "unprecedented" and made "without any profound thinking on the legal repercussions", the governor remarked that the decision, if implemented, would jeopardise the future of students," the statement said. Even though the Committee of Vice Chancellors constituted by the Minister for Higher and Technical Education to analyse the situation and to explore various options available to conduct the examinations had given its report to the department's secretary on May 6, the same "had not been presented to him till date", Koshyari wrote. During his video conference with vice chancellors, all the VCs had communicated willingness for conducting examinations, he said. The governor stated he had clearly mentioned that the chancellors office shall give further directions after accepting the recommendations of the committee partially or fully once the report was received by him, the statement said.