Madras High Court adjourns final hearing in VC appointment amendment case to June 29

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday adjourned to June 29 the final hearing of a case challenging the amendment granting the State government the authority to appoint Vice-Chancellors to State universities.

The public interest writ petition filed by advocate K Venkatachalapathy of Tirunelveli opposed the legislation claiming that the amendments were contrary to the objectives of regulations and functions of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

While entertaining the petition, the High Court had earlier granted an interim stay on the operation of the said legislation. Aggrieved by this, the State government preferred an appeal before the Supreme Court, which noted that the vacation bench that granted the stay acted in a tearing hurry and set aside the stay. It then directed the High Court to proceed with the hearing of the main matter.

In its counter affidavit, the State government submitted that appointments were being made in compliance with UGC norms. The government pointed out that it was the State Legislature that empowered the governor to appoint vice-chancellors to State universities and contended that the legislature was, hence, entitled to amend the laws to pass the power to appoint VCs to the State government.

When the matter was taken up for hearing before a division bench comprising the Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, the counsel for the petitioner and also the UGC sought time to file their replies to the State's counter affidavit.

Acceding to the request, the bench adjourned the matter to June 29 for final hearing and directed all parties to file their pleadings by then.