The Madras High Court stayed parts of Tamil Nadu laws that allowed the government to appoint Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) of 18 State universities.
This order reverses a recent Supreme Court decision that approved 10 Tamil Nadu Bills removing the Governor’s power to appoint V-Cs.
Because of this, the Governor’s authority to appoint V-Cs is restored, causing a deadlock with many universities still without V-Cs.
The court acted on a lawyer’s petition and said the amended laws violated past Supreme Court rulings about V-C appointments.
Earlier rulings require following UGC Regulations, especially Regulation 7.3, for appointing V-Cs through search committees.
Tamil Nadu argued it excluded Regulation 7.3 in 2021, but the court rejected this and said removing the Chancellor’s power is unconstitutional.
The court passed the order quickly, without giving the State enough time to respond or considering that the Supreme Court might take up the case soon.
There is confusion because some court decisions say UGC rules must be followed, while others question if UGC can override State laws.
The Supreme Court may need to finally decide if UGC Regulations can override State legislation on university appointments.
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