Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Kovil Chezhiyan defended the state government’s formation of a search committee to appoint a Vice-Chancellor for Annamalai University, stating that it was constituted in compliance with state laws.Governor R.N. Ravi had earlier directed the dissolution of the committee, citing the absence of a UGC representative, and asked for a new committee to be formed.
Responding to this, he emphasized that the Governor lacks the authority to unilaterally form or dissolve the committee, as his role is limited to making recommendations. He added that the Governor’s actions should align with state legislation and approval of the committee is within his constitutional duty.
The minister also criticized the Governor for creating unnecessary hurdles for the democratically elected government and urged him to respect the state’s functioning.