This instability may hinder important decisions and planning in higher education, particularly in central universities and IIITs, raising concerns among experts

Updated on: Sep 10, 2026, 09:00:02 IST

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India’s premier centrally run higher education institutions are facing a significant vacuum at the top, with 37 of 155 Institutions of National Importance (INIs), or 23.9%, currently functioning with interim in-charge or acting vice-chancellors (VCs) or directors, or those with additional-charge or on extensions, according to an analysis by .

The analysis covered all 48 Central Universities (CUs), 23 IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), 31 NITs (National Institutes of Technology), 25 IIITs (Indian Institutes of Information technology), 21 IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) and seven IISERs (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research) under the Union education ministry.

VCs and directors are the highest academic and administrative authorities in INIs, overseeing academic programmes, faculty appointments, finances, infrastructure and long-term planning. Experts said prolonged interim or acting arrangements in nearly a fourth of INIs can put institutions in a “standby mode”, slowing major decisions and weakening accountability and long-term planning.

The problem is most pronounced in CUs and IIITs. Of the 48 CUs, 20 (41.7%) have either interim/in-charge heads or VCs continuing on extensions. Of these, 11 do not have a functioning regular VC, while nine have VCs continuing through extensions or other arrangements. Among the 25 IIITs, 10 (40%) do not have full-time regular directors. The situation extends to three of 21 IIMs, three of 31 NITs and one of seven IISERs. All 23 IITs currently have regular directors.

The leadership gaps are not always sudden. In several cases, the appointment process was initiated years before an incumbent’s tenure ended, but a successor was still not appointed.

At IIT Patna, director Prof TN Singh, who assumed charge on September 10, 2021, completed his five-year tenure on September 9, 2026. The post was advertised by IIT Delhi on November 20, 2025, nearly 10 months before his tenure ended. No successor had been announced as of September 9. Singh is “likely to get an extension till the appointment of a new director or one year,” said a person familiar with the development.

The story is the same in CUs. At Central University of Andhra Pradesh, Prof C Sheela Reddy was appointed interim VC on August 19 after Prof SA Kori’s extended tenure ended; the post was advertised in May 2025.

Interim arrangements can continue for extended periods.

Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, has one of the longest-running interim arrangements, with Prof Yashwant Singh Thakur serving as acting/in-charge VC since July 2025, after regular VC Prof Neelima Gupta left on reaching the age of 70.

IIITs rely heavily on dual-charge arrangements. Directors of institutions including IIT Kharagpur, IIT Hyderabad, MNIT Jaipur, NIT Calicut and VNIT Nagpur are simultaneously holding additional charge elsewhere. “Leading or managing one institution is hard enough; leading two is just probably impossible. You will end up not doing justice to one of them,” said IIIT-Delhi founding director and Emeritus Prof Pankaj Jalote.

Three IIMs—Bangalore, Raipur and Tiruchirappalli—are headed by directors-in-charge. At IIM Bangalore, Prof U Dinesh Kumar took charge after Prof Rishikesha T Krishnan’s tenure ended in July 2025.

A former IIT director, requesting anonymity, said prolonged interim leadership could put institutions into a “standby mode”, delaying faculty recruitment, new academic programmes, infrastructure projects, international collaborations and long-term financial commitments. “The process has to become predictable, professional and time bound,” this person added, arguing that searches should begin at least six months before a tenure ends.

A former VC of a Central University said files related to VC and director appointments are “approved by the PMO” before notification by the education ministry, contributing to delays.

The PMO and the education ministry did not respond to ’s queries.

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