CHENNAI: The State Law Department has appointed a search panel led by former High Court retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan for the appointment of vice- chancellor for Dr Ambedkar Law University.

The Tamil Nadu Gazette said that the constitution of the search committee to recommend a panel of three names to the government for the selection of vice-chancellor, the Tamil Nadu Ambedkar Law University in Chennai has been made under the University Act 1996.

Accordingly, retired Madras High Court Justice Aruna Jagadeesan will be the member of the government's nominee.

Similarly, Professor S Sachidhanandam, former vice chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University and former professor of National Law University, Delhi will be the member of syndicate nominee and professor Dr Vijayakumar, former vice-chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University and the National Law Institute University, Bhopal will be the member of academic senate nominee.

The appointment of the committee assumes significance that the State government now has the right to appoint vice-chancellors for the state universities after the Apex Court recently approved ten bills, which had been pending with the Governor for a long time.

This verdict has given the power to the Tamil Nadu government for appointing vice chancellors in the state universities and also to constitute a search panel to recruit the heads of the institutions.