Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016.
2. (2) It shall come into force on such date1 as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

1. (1) "academic services unit" means university science and instrumentation centre, academic staff college, computer centre, university printing press or any other unit providing specialized services for the promotion of any of the objectives of the university;
2. (2) "adjunct professor", "adjunct associate professor" or "adjunct assistant professor" means a person from industry, trade, agriculture, commerce, social, cultural, academic or any other allied field who is so designated during the period of collaboration or association with the university;
3. (3) "affiliated college" means a college which has been granted affiliation by the university;
4. (4) "authorities" means the authorities of the university as specified by or under this Act;
5. (5) "autonomy" means a privilege of the university conferred by the Statutes to permit a college, institution or a university department to conduct academic programmes and examinations, develop syllabus for the respective subjects and issue certificates of passing the examinations;
6. (6) "autonomous college", "autonomous institution" or "autonomous department" means a college, institution or department to which autonomy is granted and is designated to be so by the Statutes;
7. (7) "bodies" means the bodies of the university formed by the respective authorities;
8. (8) "Chancellor" and "Vice-Chancellor" means, respectively, the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor of the university;
9. (9) "choice based credit system" means the curricular system that offers multiple interdisciplinary choices for students to select from the courses (core, elective or minor or soft skill courses) to accumulate credits as prescribed in Statutes;
10. (10) "cluster university" means the cluster university established under sub-section (6) of section 3 of the Act;
11. (11) "collaboration" means collaborative academic activity of the university or college or institution with other universities, academic institutions including local, regional, national or international institutions, research institutions and organizations in the field of agriculture, industry, trade and commerce, sports, social, cultural, science, technology and any other field;
12. (12) "college" means a college affiliated to the university, situated in the university area or jurisdiction;
13. (13) "College Development Committee" means the College Development Committee constituted under section 97 of this Act;
14. (14) "Collegium of Heads of Department of Affiliated Colleges and recognized institutions" means an electoral college consisting of heads of departments from affiliated colleges and recognized institutions who shall elect from amongst themselves as members to the concerned authorities;
15. (15) "Collegium of Graduates of the University" means an electoral college consisting of registered graduates of the university, who shall elect from amongst themselves as members to the different authorities;
16. (16) "Collegium of Management Representatives" means an electoral college consisting of representatives of management committees of affiliated or autonomous colleges or institutions who shall elect from amongst themselves as members to the different authorities;
17. (17) "Collegium of Principals" means an electoral college consisting of fulltime approved Principals and Directors of recognized institutions who shall elect from amongst themselves as members to the different authorities;
18. (18) "Collegium of Teachers" means an electoral college consisting of fulltime approved teachers from affiliated and autonomous colleges and recognized institutions, who shall elect from amongst themselves as members to the different authorities;
19. (19) "Collegium of University Teachers" means an electoral college consisting of fulltime teachers from University Departments, University Institutions, and Conducted Colleges appointed by university who shall elect from amongst themselves as members to the different authorities;
20. (20) "Commission" means the Maharashtra State Commission for Higher Education and Development constituted under section 76 of this Act;
21. (21) "community college" means an institution providing skill-based academic programs as prescribed in the Statutes;
22. (22) "conducted college" means a college maintained and managed by the university;
23. (23) "De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis)" means tribes declared as such by the State Government, from time to time;
24. (24) "department" means a department teaching a particular subject or a group of subjects in a college or an institution as prescribed in the Statutes;
25. (25) "Director" means a head of an institution including a centre or a school of the university as designated by the Management Council or a head of a recognized institution;
26. (26) "Director of Higher Education" and "Director of Technical Education" means respectively, Director of Higher Education, Maharashtra State and Director of Technical Education, Maharashtra State;
27. (27) "Empowered Autonomous College" means an autonomous college that is identified by the university Grants Commission as College with potential for Excellence or College Excellence, which has high level grade as specified by the Government by notification in the Official Gazette as has been given the status of Empowered Autonomous College by the Authority under the Statutes, with a power to grant degree of such College jointly with the affiliating University;
28. (28) "Empowered Autonomous Cluster Institutions" means a group of autonomous Colleges or institutions of the same management or educational society which includes the colleges or institutions, identified by the University Grants Commission as College with potential for excellence or College of excellence, which have high level grade as specified by the Government by notification in the Official Gazette as has been given the status of Empowered Autonomous Cluster Institution by the Authority under the Statutes, and is empowered to grant a joint degree with the affiliating University;
29. (29) "Empowered Autonomous Skills Development College" means a college which has been recognized by the university for conducting the skills development programmes as prescribed by the university as per the National, State Level policy regarding Skills Qualification and Education Framework and which is given the status of Empowered Autonomous Skills Development College by the university to which it is affiliated and is empowered to grant a joint degree, certificate, diploma and advanced diploma with the affiliating university;
30. (30) "fee" means tuition fees, other fees and charges, including developmental charges;
31. (31) "Head of the University Department", "Head of the Institution" and "Head of the College Department" means respectively, a Head of the University Department, a head of the recognized institution and a head of the college department, as prescribed in the Statutes;
32. (32) "higher education" means the pursuit of knowledge beyond learning at the stage of higher secondary school education;
33. (33) "Hostel" means a place of residence for the students of the university or a college or an institution, provided, established, maintained by the university or college or institution, as the case may be;
34. (34) "institution" means an academic institution of higher learning, not being a college, associated with and admitted to the privileges of the university;
35. (35) "inter-disciplinary studies" means the combined academic studies and research in different disciplines as prescribed by statutes;
36. (36) "Knowledge Resource Centre" means a library established by the university on the campus or sub-campuses of the university to hold in print, electronic and audio-video format material, monographs, reference volumes, text and review books, all types of journals and any other material in various format useful for education, research, extension services or for similar purposes;
37. (37) "management" means the trustees or the managing or governing body, by whatever name called, of any trust registered under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act (XXIX of 1950), or any society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860) or a Company registered under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013), under the management of which one or more colleges or recognized institutions or other institutions of higher learning, are conducted and admitted to the privileges of the university: Provided that, in relation to any college or institution established or maintained by the Central Government or the State Government or a local authority like a Zilla Parishad, Municipal Council or Municipal Corporation, it means, respectively, the Central Government or the State Government or Zilla Parishad or the Municipal Council or the Municipal Corporation, as the case may be;
38. (38) "multi-disciplinary studies" means the combined academic studies and research in different streams of a particular discipline as prescribed by Statutes;
39. (39) "Nomadic Tribes" means tribes wandering from place to place in search of their livelihood, as declared by the State Government, from time to time;
40. (40) "non-vacational academic staff" means such staff as the State Government may classify to be non-vacational academic staff and includes all such staff which is complimentary to academic staff but, shall not include the staff engaged purely in discharging administrative functions;
41. (41) "Other Backward Classes" means any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens as declared by the State Government and includes Other Backward Classes declared by the Government of India in relation to the State of Maharashtra;
42. (42) "post-graduate department" means a department in a college or institution of higher learning, research or specialized studies, recognized to be so by the university and imparting post-graduate instruction or guidance for research;
43. (43) "prescribed" means prescribed by Statutes or Ordinances or Regulations, as the case may be, made by or under this Act;
44. (44) "Principal" means a teacher who is duly approved as a Principal by the university;
45. (45) "Pro-Vice-Chancellor" means the academic and executive officer, next to the Vice-Chancellor having purview of the entire university;
46. (46) "recognized institution" means an institution of higher learning, research or specialized studies, other than a college, and recognized to be so by the university;
47. (47) "registered graduate" means a graduate of a university registered or deemed to be registered by or under this Act with one of the universities;
48. (48) "satellite centre" means an integral part of an affiliated or conducted college or recognized institution imparting academic programmes, co-curricular, research and extension activities in rural or tribal region, neighbouring the location of such college or institution, established with the object of reaching the unreached, on the terms and conditions specified by the State Government by an Order in the Official Gazette;
49. (49) "Schedule" means the Schedule to this Act;
50. (50) "Scheduled Castes" means such castes, races or tribes or parts of, or groups within, such castes, races or tribes as are deemed to be Scheduled Castes, in relation to the State of Maharashtra under article 341 of the Constitution of India;
51. (51) "Scheduled Tribes" means such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within, such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in relation to the State of Maharashtra under article 342 of the Constitution of India residing in any part of the State of Maharashtra;
52. (52) "school" means a school of studies maintained by or recognized as such by the university or autonomous college, Empowered Autonomous College, Empowered Autonomous Cluster Institution;
53. (53) "Skills Knowledge Provider" means an institution which has been recognized by the university for conducting such courses as prescribed by the university as per the National, State Level policy regarding Skills Qualification Framework;
54. (54) "Special Backward Category" means socially and educationally backward classes of citizens declared as a Special Backward Category by the State Government;
55. (55) "State" means the State of Maharashtra;
56. (56) "State Government" or "Government" means the Government of Maharashtra;
57. (57) "Statutes", "Ordinances" and "Regulations" means, respectively, the Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations of the university, made by or under this Act;
58. (58) "Student" means an individual who is admitted and registered for an academic programme of the University or affiliated, conducted, autonomous colleges and recognized institutions of the University;
59. (59) "Students' Council" means the Students' Council established under section 99 of the Act;
60. (60) "Sub-Campus" means a comprehensive inherent independent unit of the university for a predetermined geographical jurisdiction for decentralization of academic, administrative, research and extension activities of that jurisdiction, with the objective of improving efficiency and effectiveness;
61. (61) "teacher" means full-time approved professor, associate professor, assistant professor, reader, lecturer, librarian, principal, Director of an institution, Director of Knowledge Resource Centre, Director of Centre of Lifelong Learning and Extension, deputy or assistant librarian in the university, college librarian, Director or instructor of physical education in any university department, conducted, affiliated or autonomous college, autonomous institution or department or recognized institution of the university;
62. (62) "Tribunal" means the tribunal established under section 80 of the Act; 1[(63) "university" means any of the public universities mentioned in the Schedule A and Schedule B;
63. (64) "university area" means the area specified against the name of the university in 2[the Schedule A;]
64. (65) "university department" means a department established and maintained by the university as prescribed by the Statutes;
65. (66) "University Grants Commission" means the University Grants Commission established under the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956);
66. (67) "university institution" means a centre, a school, or an institute established and maintained by the university as prescribed by the Statutes;
67. (68) "university teacher" means a full time teacher appointed by the university.