Chandigarh, Dec 28 : Despite "fighting" for institutional autonomy and retaining identity closely entwined with Punjabi culture and ethos, more than 200 patents have been granted and published by 143-year-old Chandigarh-based Panjab University (PU), where 75 per cent of graduating students are women.

In 2025, seven patents were published, 10 were granted, and four were filed.

Being the alma mater of former Prime Ministers Dr Manmohan Singh and I.K. Gujral, and former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, the teaching community and students of the apex educational institute are proud of its signing a total of 225 memoranda of understanding.

Of these, 21 were signed in 2024-25 and 15 in 2025-26. The late Dr Manmohan Singh not only completed his post-graduation from this university, originally established in Lahore (now in Pakistanâ??s Punjab) in 1882, but also started his teaching job with it. He became an economics professor at the young age of 32.

The illustrious alumni of PU, among others, are Olympian Neeraj Chopra, cricketer Kapil Dev, Nobel laureate Dr Har Gobind Khorana, actors Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher, and former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, whose achievements continue to inspire future generations.

A spokesperson for the university told IANS that the institution crossed 31,000 high-impact research publications, with around 2,400 papers published during 2025 alone. The universityâ??s overall H-index stands at 272. Also, the University Grants Commission conferred PU with the prestigious Category-I status; besides, it achieved NAAC A++ accreditation with a score of 3.68 out of four.

The university, a living centre of learning rooted in Punjabâ??s culture, language, and regional aspirations, has a unique status as both the central and Punjab governments provide funding to it, predominantly by the former, with the stateâ??s contribution rarely crossing 20 per cent.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has often blamed the BJP government at the Centre for attempting to change its legal and administrative status, besides institutional autonomy. However, he says they would not allow any such move in the larger interests of the students and their democratic governance, original identity and purpose.

Mann has been quoted as saying 175 colleges of the state are affiliated with this premier university, due to which generations of Punjab are emotionally attached to it. After Partition, the PU was shifted from Lahore, the then capital of Punjab, to Hoshiarpur and then to Chandigarh, the present capital of Punjab.

The Vice-President of India serves as the Chancellor, unlike other state universities, where the Governor holds the position. In November, PU students were on a warpath mainly against the Centreâ??s attempts to restructure its governing bodies -- Senate and Syndicate -- and for abolishing the decades-old election system of the Senate, the universityâ??s primary decision-making body, leading to clashes, shutdowns, and subsequent postponements of exams.

After weeks of massive protest and political opposition from Punjab, the Vice President approved the dates for elections to the Senate to be held next year. A majority of political parties in Punjab saw it as the Centreâ??s attempt to dilute PUâ??s autonomy and a â??challenge to the stateâ??s rightsâ??.

The Senate has 91 members, and elections are held for 49 seats. The term of the previous Senate ended in October, 2024. The Centre then tried to do away with the poll process, though that move has since been taken back.

The Centre, in a notification of October 28, had reduced the number of Senators and abolished polls for the Graduates constituency. This constituency chooses 15 members from among the alumni, and the polls are held in Punjab, Chandigarh and in neighbouring states. The elections for constituencies of the Senate, the main demand of the protesters, will be held from September 9 to October 4, 2026.

On the positive side, the PU has a long and distinguished history. In NIRF Rankings 2025, the PU ranked 35th in the university category and third among state public universities. The 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.

Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig says the university continues to strengthen its academic and research profile in alignment with national priorities. Highlighting achievements, she said 33 patents, major research grants, expansion of national and international collaborations, strong alumni support, and an impressive performance at the Khelo India 2025 events.

In Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, a beautiful red sandstone campus was designed for the PU by Pierre Jeanneret under the guidance of Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. The university moved here from 1958 to 1960. Till the re-organisation of Punjab in 1966, the university had its regional centres at Rohtak, Shimla and Jalandhar, and its affiliated colleges were located in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

With the re-organisation of Punjab, the university became an Inter-State Body Corporate catering to the newly organised states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and Chandigarh. Gradually, the colleges of Himachal and Haryana were affiliated to the universities in the respective states, and Panjab University was left with the affiliated colleges in the Union Territory of Chandigarh and parts of Punjab.

The Panjab University Campus, located in Sector 14 and Sector 25, spreads across 550 acres.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

/IANS