Section 13 of the Central Universities Act, 2009 - Deans of Schools

Updated: 15 September 2026

Section 13 of the Central Universities Act, 2009 deals with the appointment, powers and duties of every Dean of School in a Central University governed by the Act. The section is brief and must be read together with the applicable Statutes, especially Statute 5 of the First Statutes.

Text and meaning of Section 13

Section 13 - Deans of Schools: Every Dean of School shall be appointed in such manner, and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties, as may be prescribed by the Statutes.

In practical terms, Section 13 creates the statutory office of Dean of School but leaves the detailed method of appointment and the Dean's functions to the Statutes made under the Act. Therefore, Section 13 should not be read in isolation when determining eligibility, tenure, seniority, temporary arrangements or the Dean's academic responsibilities.

How a Dean of School is appointed

Under Statute 5 of the First Statutes to the Central Universities Act, 2009, the Vice-Chancellor appoints the Dean from among the Professors in the School by rotation in order of seniority, ordinarily for a period of three years. Where a School has only one Professor or no Professor, the Statute provides for appointment, for the time being, from the eligible Professor or Associate Professors in the School by rotation according to seniority.

The First Statutes also provide that a Dean ceases to hold that office on attaining sixty-five years of age. These detailed rules arise from the Statutes contemplated by Section 13 rather than from the one-sentence provision in Section 13 itself.

Vacancy or temporary inability of the Dean

If the office is vacant, or the Dean cannot perform the duties because of illness, absence or another cause, Statute 5 provides for the duties to be performed by the senior-most Professor or Associate Professor, as applicable, in the School.

Powers and duties of the Dean

The First Statutes identify the Dean as the Head of the School. The Dean is responsible for the conduct and maintenance of standards of teaching and research and may have additional functions prescribed by the Ordinances. The Dean may also attend and speak at meetings of the School's Boards of Studies or Committees, but voting depends on whether the Dean is a member of the relevant body.

Why Section 13 must be read with the Statutes

The expression "as may be prescribed by the Statutes" is central to Section 13. The Act supplies the legal foundation for the office, while the Statutes provide the operational rules. For questions concerning a particular Central University, the Central Universities Act, the First Statutes and any lawfully applicable amendments, Ordinances or university-specific provisions should therefore be checked together.

Legal reference: The Central Universities Act, 2009 is Act No. 25 of 2009 and was enacted on 20 March 2009. For authoritative text and subsequent amendments, consult the official India Code version and the Ministry of Education material linked on this page.

Related provisions

Section 13 forms part of the provisions dealing with university officers. Readers may also refer to Section 12 - Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Section 14 - Registrar and Section 15 - Finance Officer.