CHENNAI: It has been a week since governor R N Ravi withdrew the notifications constituting search committees for identifying candidates for appointment as vice-chancellors for Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University and University of Madras. Tamil Nadu has decided to wait for the next hearing of its petition in the Supreme Court slated for January 23, before taking a call.
The state had challenged notifications of Ravi that included a nominee of the chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) as one of the members of the search panel.
It alleged that the notifications were unconstitutional, arbitrary, illegal and ultra vires of the provisions of the individual statutes of the varsities.
Government sources said the matter was sub judice and hence committees set up by the government, omitting the UGC nominee, would continue to remain non-functional.
“Since the case is scheduled to be taken up for hearing on January 23, the government has decided to wait for the court orders to take the next course of action,” said a senior official.
With the governor and government at loggerheads, the posts of vice-chancellors of Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University and University of Madras have been lying vacant since October 17, 2022, November 30, 2022, and August 20, 2023, respectively.
It is felt that a decision on the committees for three universities would become infructuous since the court is also hearing a petition of the state, seeking directions to the governor to dispose of all bills passed by the legislature, that empower the state to appoint vice-chancellors in state-run universities.
In a press statement, the governor had expressed confidence that the state in deference to the direction of the UGC as upheld by Supreme Court and high courts, would bring the provisions of the various Universities in line with the UGC regulations as applicable.
The state had challenged notifications of Ravi that included a nominee of the chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) as one of the members of the search panel.
It alleged that the notifications were unconstitutional, arbitrary, illegal and ultra vires of the provisions of the individual statutes of the varsities.
Government sources said the matter was sub judice and hence committees set up by the government, omitting the UGC nominee, would continue to remain non-functional.
“Since the case is scheduled to be taken up for hearing on January 23, the government has decided to wait for the court orders to take the next course of action,” said a senior official.
With the governor and government at loggerheads, the posts of vice-chancellors of Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University and University of Madras have been lying vacant since October 17, 2022, November 30, 2022, and August 20, 2023, respectively.
It is felt that a decision on the committees for three universities would become infructuous since the court is also hearing a petition of the state, seeking directions to the governor to dispose of all bills passed by the legislature, that empower the state to appoint vice-chancellors in state-run universities.
In a press statement, the governor had expressed confidence that the state in deference to the direction of the UGC as upheld by Supreme Court and high courts, would bring the provisions of the various Universities in line with the UGC regulations as applicable.
