Keralam govt. to present resolution in Assembly seeking return of Private Universities Bill

What resolution is the Kerala government planning to introduce in the Assembly?

The proposed resolution is a formal request from the Kerala Assembly to the President. It seeks the return of the Kerala Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2025, so the House can reconsider it. This matters because the current UDF government has decided not to proceed with the Bill in its present form.

Higher Education Minister Roji M. John is likely to introduce the resolution on Monday. He would do so under Rule 118 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. That rule covers government resolutions moved in the House. If the Assembly approves the resolution, its request must travel through the Governor.

The Bill was passed on March 25, 2025, under the earlier CPI(M)-led LDF government. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar referred it to the President in September 2025. The proposed resolution would be a first of its kind for the Kerala Assembly.

What is the Kerala Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2025 meant to do?

The Bill’s stated subject is the establishment and regulation of private universities in Kerala. In practical terms, that means creating a legal framework for such institutions and setting rules governing them. However, the article does not explain the proposed universities’ powers, approval standards, fees, governance, or academic responsibilities.

The Bill is formally titled the Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill, 2025. The Assembly passed it on March 25, 2025, while the CPI(M)-led LDF government was in power. Its title provides the clearest description of its intended purpose in the supplied text.

The Bill is currently not moving forward in its existing form. The UDF government, which came to power in May this year, has decided not to proceed with it. The government now plans to seek its return from the President for reconsideration by the Assembly.

How long has the Bill been awaiting the President’s decision since the Assembly passed it?

The Assembly passed the Kerala State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) Bill on March 25, 2025. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar later referred it to the President in September 2025. By the article’s publication on October 9, 2026, the President had still not given assent.

That means the Bill had remained unresolved for more than 18 months since the Assembly passed it. Counting from the Governor’s referral, it had also been pending for more than a year. The article does not provide an exact number of days or a date for the President’s decision.

During this period, the Union Home Ministry sought clarifications from the Kerala government. The current UDF government has now decided not to proceed with the Bill in its existing form. It plans to ask for the Bill’s return so the Assembly can reconsider it.

Why was the Bill sent to the President, and what does Article 201 of the Constitution provide for in such cases?

The Bill reached the President because Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar referred it in September 2025. The article identifies this as a Bill reserved for the President’s consideration. The proposed Assembly resolution relies on Article 201 of the Constitution, which deals with this category of State legislation.

Under Article 201, the President may give assent to a reserved Bill or withhold assent. The President may also return a non-Money Bill to the State legislature through the Governor for reconsideration. The legislature can reconsider the Bill and send it back. This constitutional mechanism explains why Kerala is seeking a return rather than simply withdrawing the Bill itself.

The article says the State will urge the Centre to act through the Governor to obtain the Bill’s return. The President has not yet given assent. Union Home Ministry officials have also sought clarifications from the State government.

What could happen if the President returns the Bill to the Kerala Assembly for reconsideration?

A return would reopen the Bill inside the Kerala Assembly. The House could reconsider its provisions, debate changes, and decide whether to pass the measure again. This matters because the UDF government has decided not to proceed with the Bill in its present form, after the earlier LDF government passed it.

The constitutional route runs through the Governor. If the President returns a non-Money Bill for reconsideration, the State legislature examines it again and may make changes. If the legislature passes it again, Article 201 provides that the President shall not withhold assent. The article itself does not describe any amendments that Kerala plans to make.

For now, the President has not returned or assented to the Bill. Kerala is only planning to introduce the resolution. Any next step depends first on the Assembly passing that resolution and the request being sent through the Governor.

What roles do the Assembly, the Governor, the President, and the Union government each play in this process?

The Kerala Assembly passed the Bill and is now being asked to pass a resolution seeking its return. It would reconsider the legislation if the President sends it back. The proposed resolution is expected to be moved by Higher Education Minister Roji M. John under Rule 118.

The Governor is the constitutional channel in this process. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar referred the Bill to the President in September 2025. If the Assembly passes the new resolution, the request to the President must again go through the Governor. The President considers the reserved Bill and may assent or return it under Article 201.

The Union government’s role is connected to the request’s transmission. Kerala’s resolution will urge the Centre to take steps, through the Governor, to obtain the Bill’s return. The Union Home Ministry has already sought clarifications from Kerala about the Bill while it remains under consideration.

What are private universities, and how are they different from public universities in India?

Private universities are higher-education institutions established by private bodies rather than directly created as public institutions by the government. Public universities are established or substantially supported by government authorities. Both can provide degrees and conduct higher education, but their founding authority, funding structure, and governance arrangements can differ.

The Bill’s title shows that it concerns establishing and regulating private universities in Kerala. The article does not state how the proposed law would define eligibility, oversight, funding, admissions, or academic standards. Those details cannot be inferred from the supplied text.

The Bill was passed by the Assembly on March 25, 2025, and later referred to the President. The current UDF government has decided not to proceed with it in its present form. It now plans to seek the Bill’s return for reconsideration, using the process under Article 201.

Key Facts:

📌 Kerala plans a resolution seeking the Bill’s return from the President.

📌 Roji M. John is likely to move it on Monday.

📌 The resolution would be Kerala Assembly’s first of this kind.

📌 The Bill concerns establishing and regulating private universities in Kerala.

📌 The Assembly passed it on March 25, 2025.

📌 The article gives no detailed provisions of the Bill.

📌 The Bill passed the Assembly on March 25, 2025.