The Supreme Court has scheduled the final hearing of the Tamil Nadu government’s case against Governor R.N. Ravi for February 4, following a brief postponement.The dispute arose in 2023 when the Tamil Nadu government formed search committees to appoint new vice-chancellors for universities, including Chennai and Bharathiar universities, after the tenure of the incumbents ended. Governor Ravi had insisted that a member from the University Grants Commission (UGC) be included in the committees, which the state government contended was against the rules. The Tamil Nadu government filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Governor’s directive.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government filed an additional plea highlighting that the terms of vice-chancellors for Anna University and Annamalai University ended in August and November 2023, respectively, while extensions for the vice-chancellors of Bharathidasan and Periyar universities are set to end in February and May 2024. The state argued that the Governor’s repeated insistence on including a UGC member in the committees, even as the matter is sub judice, violates regulations.
The Supreme Court, which was scheduled to hear the case earlier, deferred it to February 4 and has assured a final hearing on the matter on that date.