Supreme Court relief to Tamil Nadu Govt in Vice-Chancellor appointment row

The Tamil Nadu government received a boost on February 4 after the Supreme Court of India set aside an order of the vacation bench of the Madras High Court that had stalled the state's power to appoint vice-chancellors in universities.

"The state's stand has been vindicated. The Supreme Court has clearly observed that the High Court acted in tearing haste and did not grant the state adequate time to respond before staying the laws enacted by the Assembly," DMK MP and lawyer P Wilson told ET.

The apex court remitted the matter to the High Court and fixed a six-week timeline for its decision. The state government, in turn, assured the Supreme Court that it would not appoint any vice-chancellors until the High Court delivers its ruling. Currently, 16 of the 22 state-run universities in Tamil Nadu are without vice-chancellors.


In April 2022, the state Assembly passed legislation transferring the power to appoint vice-chancellors in state-run universities from the Governor to the government. The Governor did not grant assent to the Bill, triggering a prolonged legal dispute between the Raj Bhavan and the state. In May last year, a vacation bench of the Madras High Court stayed the amendments, preventing the government from making VC appointments.