The Madras High Court has expressed serious concern over the prolonged absence of vice-chancellors in state-run universities, warning that the ongoing leadership vacuum is severely undermining both academic quality and institutional administration. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh observed that the current reliance on convenor committees led by IAS officers is an unsustainable, temporary measure that has persisted for three to four years.
“The convenor committee headed by an IAS Officer, at the best, can only be a temporary arrangement and it is virtually impossible for this committee to run the universities and administer the colleges falling under the purview of those Universities. This status is continuing for more than three to four years and it has a direct impact on the functioning of the educational institutions,” Justice Venkatesh stated. He further cautioned that failure by the state government to rectify this anomaly would have a direct, detrimental impact on higher education across Tamil Nadu.
During the proceedings, the court emphasized the necessity of taking judicial notice of the situation, which currently affects 14 universities operating without a vice-chancellor or a properly constituted syndicate. The court has requested the advocate general to appear and outline the government's strategy to restore normalcy to these institutions.
The judge’s remarks came while presiding over a batch of appeals filed by retired Annamalai University employees seeking the disbursement of their pensions. Senior counsel Singaravelan, representing the petitioners, highlighted that the university registrar is unable to resolve administrative issues effectively due to the lack of a vice-chancellor or syndicate.
Justice Venkatesh noted that this issue is systemic, citing similar ongoing cases involving the University of Madras and Anna University. In response to the administrative paralysis, the court has suo motu impleaded the finance secretary in the case. The registrar of Annamalai University has been directed to submit a report regarding pension disbursements, with the matter scheduled for further hearing on November 17.
