CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to consider a representation seeking enhancement of the retirement age of faculty members in state universities from 60 to 65 years.
Justice P T Asha gave the direction on June 9 while disposing of a writ petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Federation of Universities Faculty Association (Tanfufa), which had approached the court after the higher education department’s alleged inaction on its memorandum.
The association moved the court on June 3, 2026, seeking direction to the state government to act on its representation dated November 28, 2025.
“Taking note of the limited relief sought, the court directed the government to consider the plea on merits and in accordance with law within eight weeks,” said association general secretary D Baskaran.
In its submission to the court, Tanfufa stated that a majority of the 22 state universities have nearly 50% faculty vacancies, largely due to the lack of regular recruitment over the years. The impending retirement of a large number of faculty members would further aggravate the crisis, affecting teaching quality, research output and academic standards, the association warned. Extending the retirement age would help retain experienced professors with decades of teaching and research expertise, thereby ensuring continuity in academic and administrative functions, it argued.
The association also stated that over 200 existing professors would benefit from a five-year extension if the proposal for raising the retirement age is implemented, which would significantly support PhD scholars and ongoing research projects.
The association cited precedents from states such as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir (UT), where it stated that the retirement age for university faculty has already been increased to 65 years.
The association also pointed out that while the retirement age for government employees, including college faculty, in Tamil Nadu was increased to 60 years from 58, a similar revision for university teachers was not carried out, creating “disparity” in the higher education sector. The retirement age of university faculty members also needs to be revised to bring parity, it stressed.