Tamil Nadu Lok Bhavan termed the Tamil Nadu government’s setting up of search committees for the appointment of Vice Chancellors to state universities and the extension of their tenure as being against judicial orders. In a related development, the Supreme Court today (February 4), while setting aside the Madras High Court’s May 21, 2025 interim stay order against the operation of the laws that take away the Tamil Nadu Governor’s power to appoint Vice Chancellors to State universities, asked what was the tearing hurry for a summer vacation bench of the High Court to stay the laws.
Meanwhile, in a three-page statement dated February 2, referring to pending proceedings, it said the government orders were issued on December 22 last year to extend the tenure of the panels and grant them more time till March 21 this year to recommend names.
It said, “The UGC (minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff in universities and colleges and measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education) Regulations, 2018, which have statutory force, mandate that the search-cum-selection committees for recommending a panel of names for appointment to the post of Vice Chancellor shall include a nominee of the Chairman, University Grants Commission. The binding nature of these regulations and their supremacy over conflicting state enactments has been conclusively affirmed by the Supreme Court. The Court has declared that any appointment of a VC made on the recommendation of a search committee constituted contrary to the UGC regulations would be void ab initio.”
The statement added, “Under the respective State University Acts, the Governor of Tamil Nadu functions as the Chancellor of state universities. Historically, VCs have been appointed by the Chancellor from panels of three names recommended by duly constituted search committees, in conformity with statutory provisions. The government made amendments in the Universities Acts vide Tamil Nadu Acts, replacing the expression ‘Chancellor’ with the expression ‘government’, and therefore the appointing authority of VCs of the state universities was vested with the government. The said Acts are under challenge, and the Madras High Court has granted a stay insofar as they take away the power of appointment of the VCs from the hands of the Chancellor and vest the same with the government.”
Constitution and Extension of Search Committees for Appointment of Vice-Chancellors of State Universities By the Government of Tamil Nadu, contrary to judicial orders
Lok Bhavan Press Release No: 6#PressRelease #HigherEducation #ViceChancellors #Chancellor #GovernorRavi… pic.twitter.com/BvD1JyrDwz— LOK BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@lokbhavan_tn) February 2, 2026
The Lok Bhavan said, “Tamil Nadu filed a writ petition in the apex court challenging the notifications issued by the Governor-Chancellor dated August 6, 2023, relating to the constitution of search-cum-selection committees for three state universities. It contended that these were ultra vires the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, and do not bind the state universities.”
The statement contended, “The government of Tamil Nadu has also filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court against the interim order of the Madras High Court, and the same is pending consideration before the Supreme Court.”
It further said, “The interim orders of the Madras High Court continue to be in force, and related proceedings are pending before the Supreme Court. It is a matter of serious concern that these committees have been constituted and are functioning without a nominee of the Chairman, UGC, which is a mandatory requirement under the prevailing UGC Regulations, 2018, governing the appointment of VCs.”
Lok Bhavan said, “Despite the pendency of these proceedings, government orders have been issued on December 22, 2025, extending the tenure of the search committees and granting further time up to March 21, 2026, to recommend panels of names for appointment to the post of VC. Moreover, the search committees which were unlawfully constituted by the government for Periyar University and Bharathidasan University have conducted interactions with the shortlisted candidates for selection of the VCs on January 24 and January 27, respectively. It considers that executive actions taken during the pendency of a matter before the courts, particularly when interim orders are in force, attract the doctrine of lis pendens.”
Arguing further, Lok Bhavan said, “The action of the state government in extending the term of the selection committee when the lis is pending, and the functioning of the search committees by holding interactions with shortlisted candidates, transgress the orders of the courts and go against the spirit of such orders. In these circumstances, the continuation of the selection process by the present search committees, in their existing composition, is not legally sustainable and is contrary to the spirit of binding judicial pronouncements. Any further proceedings pursuant to such a process are liable to be rendered invalid, apart from leading to avoidable legal and administrative complications for the state government and the universities concerned.”
It said, “The Governor-Chancellor has requested the government of Tamil Nadu to issue immediate orders to include the nominee of the Chairman, UGC, in the search committees as originally recommended by the Governor-Chancellor, or to place the functioning of such search committees and all ongoing proceedings for the selection and appointment of Vice Chancellors in abeyance forthwith, until the matter is decided by the Supreme Court.”
Concluding the statement, Lok Bhavan said, “The Governor-Chancellor reiterates his commitment to upholding constitutional propriety, the rule of law, and the autonomy and high academic standards of state universities.”
