CHENNAI: Governor R N Ravi directed the Tamil Nadu govt to recall the notification constituting a search committee to identify a candidate for the post of vice-chancellor of Annamalai University, Chidambaram. He pointed out that the committee does not include a nominee of the University Grants Commission (UGC) as per the direction of the Supreme Court.
A release from Raj Bhavan on Wednesday stated that the governor, who is also the Annamalai University chancellor, constituted the search committee to identify a candidate for the post of vice-chancellor. The search committee includes nominees of the chancellor, the state govt, the university’s syndicate and the UGC chairman as per provisions of the Annamalai University Act and UGC’s 2018 regulations. The Supreme Court made it mandatory in the constitution of the search committee.
In a letter dated Oct 25, the governor-chancellor had directed the state govt to notify the constitution of the search committee, consisting of four members with the governor-chancellor’s nominee as the committee’s convener.
The higher education department issued a govt order dated Dec 9, notifying the search committee. However, the said notification purposefully excluded the UGC chairman’s nominee in violation of the judgments of the Supreme Court, according to the release.
It pointed out that the Supreme Court had already ruled that any appointment as a vice-chancellor made on the recommendation of the search committee, which is constituted contrary to the provisions of the UGC regulations, shall be “void ab initio” (having no legal effect from inception).
“The notification issued by the govt is in difference to the search committee constituted and is void ab initio, contrary to the existing UGC regulations and prevailing orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. The chancellor called upon the Tamil Nadu govt to recall the said notification, which is in difference to the search committee constituted and sent for issuing notification and directed to notify the search committee for appointment of the vice-chancellor of Annamalai University as constituted by the chancellor, which includes the UGC chairman’s nominee,” said the release.
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