Madras High Court seeks report on 14 universities without Vice-Chancellors

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has asked the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department to explain why 14 state universities have been functioning without permanent Vice-Chancellors for several years. Justice B. Pugalendhi sought a report from the Secretary of the Higher Education Department on the reasons for the delay and the steps taken by the current administration to fill the posts.

The court’s directive came during the hearing of a petition filed by Professor A. Velanganni Joseph of Madurai Kamaraj University. The petitioner challenged the appointment of S. Muthiah as Registrar (in-charge) of the university, arguing that Muthiah did not possess the required qualifications for the post.

The university, in its response, said Muthiah was only temporarily holding the charge of Registrar and had all necessary qualifications. It added that he was appointed by a competent authority. The university also said a notification for appointing a regular Registrar was issued on June 2, with a July 8 deadline for applications. Applications had been received, and the selection process was underway.

During the arguments, the court was informed that 14 universities in the state had no Vice-Chancellors. Most of these universities were being run by Registrars (in-charge), with key decisions made by a Convenor Committee. The court observed that while it was initially not inclined to entertain the petition, the submissions about the prolonged vacancies prompted it to seek a detailed report.

The judge has asked the Higher Education Secretary to provide an explanation for the vacancies and the measures taken so far to address the issue. The matter is expected to come up for further hearing after the report is submitted.