By: Express News ServiceDecember 28, 2025 08:52 AM IST 4 min readThe Centre’s October 28 notification restructuring Panjab University’s Senate and Syndicate faced severe criticism and opposition from students and various political parties.The year 2025 was eventful for Panjab University. Several protests were held on campus. The Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) election was held in September, and there were several honours for the 143-year-old institutionA historic electionThe Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has been active in PU politics for several decades, yet the president’s position in the PUCSC elections had eluded the party so far. Gaurav Veer Sohal broke that jinx and created history for ABVP by being elected to the post of president of PUCSC after 48 years in September 2025. Sohal secured 3,148 votes, defeating his close competitor, Sumit Sharma, by a margin of 488 votes. Sohal, a research scholar from the Department of Laws, has been an active member of ABVP for four years now, working closely with the party members on the ground level to touch base with students on a one-on-one level, aligning with their issues and concerns. Sohal said his work is cut out as the new president of the PUCSC, for he will be available 24×7 for student welfare, addressing student demands and taking them to the administration for resolution.Controversy over Senate and SyndicateThe Centre’s October 28 notification restructuring Panjab University’s Senate and Syndicate faced severe criticism and opposition from students and various political parties. Students staged protests against the union government’s overhauling of the governance structure of PU, converting the elected Syndicate into a completely nominated body and reducing the strength of its Senate. Various students’ organisations of Panjab University came together under the banner of ‘Panjab University Bachao Morcha’ to protest against the dissolution of the Senate elections. The protest later turned into an indefinite sit-in outside the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, demanding the restoration of the 91-member Senate. The protesters stood on a common ground, against the undemocratic move of the Centre, and demanded a rollback of the move, notified under the Panjab University Act, 1947, marking a drastic shift from political representation to administrative and academic control.On November 7, the Union Ministry of Education withdrew its notification to restructure the Senate and Syndicate, restoring the governance system of the 143-year-old institution. On November 9, PU initiated the process for Senate elections under the previous mode of Senate and submitted the detailed schedule for the Senate elections to the Chancellor and Vice-President of India for approval.On October 30, Panjab University students began an indefinite protest outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office, demanding the rollback of the ‘no-protest affidavit’ required by hostel residents. The students called it a direct attack on their right to dissent, saying the campus has always been a space for dialogue and expression. The affidavit’s first clause requires prior permission for any protest, dharna, or rally. After days of tense protests, locked gates, and sleepless nights outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office, PU on November 4 withdrew the controversial affidavit that had triggered a hunger strike and shaken the campus.AccoladesThe university crossed 31,000 high-impact research publications, with around 2,400 papers published during 2025 alone. The university’s overall H-index stands at 272. The University Grants Commission conferred PU with the prestigious Category-I status. In QS World University Rankings 2026, Panjab University ranked 276th in Asia and in the 901–950 global rank band. It secured 569th position in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2026. Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 placed the university in the 601–800 band, while THE Asia University Rankings 2025 ranked it in the 201–250 band. THE Interdisciplinary Rankings 2026 placed PU at 174th. In NIRF Rankings 2025, Panjab University ranked 35th in the university category and third among state public universities. University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) ranked third among pharmacy institutions. The Centre for World University Rankings 2025 placed Panjab University among the top 3.9 per cent of universities globally, ranking 12th in India and 837th worldwide. U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings 2025–26 ranked Panjab University 13th in India and 775th globally. As many as 51 faculty members and researchers from Panjab University featured in the Stanford–Elsevier Global Top 2% Scientists List 2025. More than 200 patents have been granted and published so far. In the calendar year 2025, seven patents were published, 10 patents were granted, and four were filed.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd