TN Govt Moves Supreme Court Against HC Stay on VC Appointment Law

The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court’s interim stay on amendments that allow the State, rather than the Governor, to appoint Vice-Chancellors in State universities. In a strongly worded Special Leave Petition (SLP), the State criticised the High Court vacation bench’s “undue haste” in hearing and granting the stay on May 21, calling it a violation of judicial norms. The petition highlighted that the petitioner, a political party member, had not shown any urgency from April 11 to May 9, and accused him of forum shopping. The government also expressed concern over being denied time to file a counter affidavit, and alleged that the court muted its mic while dictating the order, making the process opaque. The State argued that the High Court had effectively granted final relief at the interim stage, and took objection to the bench’s reference to unrelated cases and personal comments made against senior counsel. It further accused the petitioner of submitting fake documents and said this amounted to fraud. Seeking an immediate stay on the High Court’s order, the State urged the Supreme Court to grant leave to appeal and restore its authority over appointments in State universities.