The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court’s May 21 order that stayed nine state laws from 2020 related to appointing Vice-Chancellors in universities, calling it unconstitutional interference.
The Madras High Court has temporarily stayed amendments made by the Tamil Nadu government that attempted to diminish the Governor’s role in appointing Vice-Chancellors of state universities. The amendments were contested in a Public Interest Litigation, which argued they were unconstitutional and conflicted with University Grants Commission regulations.
The Supreme Court has intervened in the conflict between Governor C V Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, mandating the appointment of regular vice-chancellors for all 36 state-aided universities in West Bengal. A committee led by former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit has been formed to oversee the appointments, with an emphasis on no interim arrangements.
Today, 16th, April, The Supreme Court ordered the West Bengal Governor to appoint six Vice-Chancellors from a list submitted by the Mamata government. This emphasizes the court’s role in state educational appointments and highlights collaboration between the judiciary and the executive. The court also urged the state government to propose more candidates for consideration. Ongoing disputes between the government and the governor were addressed. The court scheduled a further hearing for April 30.