Madras HC quashes admission notification issued by Thiruvalluvar University

CHENNAI: The Madras HC on Friday quashed admission notification for PG courses issued by Registrar of Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore, for students from Villupuram. The court said registrar had issued notification beyond university’s jurisdiction for extension centre. 

The issue pertains to former law minister C Vee Shanmugham moving a PIL seeking to quash the notification. He also said the Dr J Jayalalithaa University has been established, and the impugned notification could not have been issued as Thiruvalluvar University did not have jurisdiction to invite applications for PG courses at any extension centre.

However, Advocate General R Shunmughasundaram told the bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and PD Audikesavalu that an amendment to Annamalai University Act, 2013 was moved on August 3 to convert it from ‘Unitary type’ to ‘Affiliating type’ by affiliating colleges in Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi. 

The bench observed, “State legislature has equal authority to repeal a statute as it has to enact a statute in respect of matters falling within its legislation domain. There is, equally, no doubt that the present government may intend to repeal Act 5 of 2021 (Dr Jayalalithaa University) and has issued a notification indicating such intention. However, till such time that a law is in place and its operation has not been stayed in accordance with the law, the provisions of such law need to be followed.