Drop introduction of HECI Bill 2025: Bihar MP urges Kiren Rijiju

After Kerala MP John Brittas, Rajaram Singh, the CPIML Liberation MP from Karakat, Bihar, has raised concerns about the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, 2025, before minister of parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju, requesting that its introduction be withdrawn.

In a letter to Rijiju, the Bihar MP said that the proposed bill that seeks to repeal the UGC Act, 1956, the AICTE Act, 1987, and the NCTE Act, 1993, consolidating regulatory authority under a single body, will have far-reaching implications on the country’s higher education system.

“What is surprising is that the draft Bill has not been made public, nor has there been any meaningful consultation with state governments, universities, teachers' bodies, students' organisations, or other stakeholders,” the Bihar MP said in the letter.

Earlier, Kerala MP John Brittas had asked the union government to hold the introduction of the HECI Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha or refer it to a joint parliamentary committee for detailed examination.

HECI Bill 2025 may affect ‘institutional autonomy’

The introduction of the HECI bill 2025 may affect the freedom of colleges and universities to make their own decisions, Singh wrote in the letter. He further flagged concerns about funding, as the bill reportedly seeks to delink the UGC from funding and vest financial powers with executive arms of the government.

He added that the concern is that public funding could be used based on administrative preference instead of academic merit, which would put the idea of an independent, knowledge-driven system at risk.

Similarly, the proposed regulatory structure – with powers to grant or cancel authorisation, impose graded autonomy, and even shut down institutions – could create an overly centralised system. This may result in instability, unchecked fee hikes, and privatisation, excluding marginalised groups further.

Singh added that, considering the serious constitutional, federal, academic, and social consequences, and the fact that universities are already dealing with disruptions from the National Education Policy 2020, presenting this bill as a ‘reform’ would further strain an already centralised governance framework.

“I earnestly urge the government not to proceed with the immediate introduction, and to place the Bill before all stakeholders for an informed discussion so that the interests of students, teachers, and others are not compromised,” Singh added in the letter.