CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday asked the Tamil Nadu Advocate General (AG) R Shunmugasundaram to get instructions from the governor on how long it would take to appoint a Vice-Chancellor for the University of Madras.
The first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said a University Grants Commission (UGC) representative is mandatory in the V-C search panel as per a 2022 order of the Supreme Court irrespective of whether the state adopted the UGC’s regulations or not.
The bench was hearing a PIL seeking orders to the state government to incorporate a nominee of the UGC in the search panel constituted by the government for short-listing candidates for the post of V-C. Shunmugasundaram responded saying that the university was established under a state Act, a special Act, and UGC regulations or Act cannot override the special Act. The state Assembly has enacted a bill to make the chief minister as chancellor of universities and the governor has been sitting on such files for long, causing the delay in appointments, the AG told the first bench.
Madras univ currently without head, says AG
When the CJ questioned as to what stage of the selection process the search committee was in, the AG said the panel made recommendations. The university is currently without a head, AG said. The matter was adjourned to Wednesday.