Five years after its establishment, the Karnataka State government has finally moved forward on the long-awaited ‘opt-in and opt-out’ statutes for both teaching and non-teaching personnel at Maharani Cluster University in Bengaluru.
These crucial regulations, officially titled “Statutes governing absorption of opted in teaching and non-teaching staff of erstwhile Maharani Science College for Women, Maharani Arts Commerce and Management College for Women, and Smt V.H.D Central Institute of Home Science College, into Maharani Cluster University, Bengaluru, 2024,” received approval from the Governor and Chancellor on September 10, 2025, in accordance with Section 41(7) of the Karnataka State Universities Act, 2000.
Following this approval, the university issued an official notification on September 17, 2025, setting a tight deadline of October 3, 2025, for staff members to exercise their ‘opt-in and opt-out’ choices.
Maharani Cluster University was established by the State government in 2019, formed through the merger of three prominent institutions in the city center: Maharani Science College for Women, Maharani Arts, Commerce and Management College for Women, and Smt V.H.D Central Institute of Home Science College. All were previously under the administrative control of the Department of Collegiate Education.
Currently, 142 teaching staff and 10 non-teaching staff serve at the university, with their salaries, allowances, and other benefits still being disbursed by the Department of Collegiate Education.
The government initiated the process of implementing these statutes back in 2021, aiming to streamline the university’s operations. However, the move faced significant setbacks, primarily due to resistance from the Finance Department and subsequent denial of approval by the Governor’s Office.
Obstacles to University Functioning
Concerns were raised that the university’s lack of statutory recognition led to teaching staff, still under the Collegiate Education Department’s authority, not fulfilling their duties adequately and obstructing the institution’s progress.
An official from the Higher Education Department explained, “All our university staff currently remain under the Collegiate Education Department’s jurisdiction. Many teaching faculty, appointed as early as 1996-97, have been permanently stationed here without transfers. Yet, when the department initiated staff transfers, over a hundred teachers sought court injunctions in the past three years, arguing their status as university staff exempted them from departmental transfers.”
The official further elaborated, “This situation stalled transfers for deserving individuals within the Collegiate Education Department. When directed to adhere to departmental rules, these faculty members would assert their university status. Their reluctance to engage in essential tasks, such as Learning Management System training, significantly hampered the university’s development.”
The Court’s Intervention
In 2022, sixty-four teaching staff initially chose to ‘opt-in’ and join the university, with the government issuing an official order confirming their decision.
However, a significant number of these ‘opted-in’ faculty members later reversed their decision, preferring to stay with the College Education Department. They appealed to the High Court, which recently ruled in their favor, instructing the government to re-initiate the opt-in and opt-out process.
Consequently, with the university’s statutes granted on September 15, 2025, the government has urged a swift completion of these renewed opt-in and opt-out procedures.
Manjunatha T.M., Acting Vice-Chancellor of Maharani Cluster University, shared his perspective with The Hindu, stating, “The university’s development and academic progress suffered significantly because the ‘opt-in’ processes were not conducted earlier. While the government has now authorized and notified these processes with a 15-day deadline, some are requesting 30 to 40 days for the option exercise. However, considering the university’s pressing need for development, postponing the opt-in date is not an option. Interested individuals must opt-in to our university within the given deadline.”