Maharashtra govt forms 12-member expert panel to review student council elections across state

The Maharashtra government has formed a 12member expert committee to review the process for conducting student council elections in universities and affiliated colleges across the stateThe Higher and Technical Education Department announced the panel through a Government Resolution GR issued on Thursday The committee has been tasked with examining the challenges involved in conducting student elections and recommending measures to make the process transparent structured and studentfocusedFormer Mumbai University vicechancellor to head panelThe committee will be headed by Suhas Pednekar former ViceChancellor of Mumbai University while Prasad Karande Registrar of Mumbai University will serve as the Member SecretaryThe other members include former vicechancellors provicechancellors registrars and deans from major public universities in Maharashtra including Savitribai Phule Pune University and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada UniversityThe panel will consult stakeholders and examine the existing framework before submitting its recommendations to the state governmentCommittee given onemonth deadlineAccording to the GR the expert panel has been asked to submit a comprehensive report to the state government within one monthThe committee will recommend mechanisms for conducting student council elections in a manner that keeps them focused on academic and studentrelated issues It will also examine ways to prevent external political interference and commercial influence in the election processThe panel will be expected to address implementationrelated challenges and suggest a roadmap for conducting elections across universities and affiliated collegesPanel to examine representation of studentsThe committee will also recommend measures for proportional representation of different groups in student councilsThe proposed framework will consider representation for women Scheduled Castes SC Scheduled Tribes ST Vimukta Jatis and Nomadic Tribes VJNT and Other Backward Classes OBCIt will also examine representation for students involved in the National Service Scheme NSS National Cadet Corps NCC sports and cultural activitiesThe recommendations are intended to ensure broader participation in student councils and provide representation to students from different sections of higher educational institutionsDigital voting and grievance redressal under reviewThe committee will assess whether online and other digital systems can be used for various stages of the election processThese stages include filing nominations scrutiny of candidates voting and grievance redressal The panel will examine the feasibility of digital systems with the aim of making the process more streamlined and accessibleThe committee will also formulate guidelines for managing student council funds including rules related to budgeting expenditure and auditingIn addition it will design training modules for newly elected student representatives The modules will focus on their responsibilities duties and rights after they take officeMumbai University to host committee meetingsMumbai University will facilitate meetings of the expert committee which may be conducted online offline or in a hybrid format according to the GRThe state government said the initiative was aimed at establishing a transparent and structured system for democratic participation by students in higher educational institutionsUnder the Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016 and the Uniform Statutes issued on October 26 2018 provisions exist for establishing student councils and conducting elections to themGovernment seeks roadmap for student electionsThe decision to form the committee followed a proposal submitted by the Director of Higher Education Pune on September 23 2026The GR said the committee had been constituted to address challenges in implementing student council elections consult relevant stakeholders and prepare a roadmap for conducting the electionsWith inputs from IANS