Chennai: Despite the Supreme Court’s order removing the interim stay on amendments giving power to the Tamil Nadu govt instead of the governor to appoint vice-chancellors (VCs) to state universities, educationists say that universities may not get VCs before the start of the next academic year due to the Assembly election.They urged both governor R N Ravi and chief minister M K Stalin to strike a compromise, albeit temporary, without prejudice to the pending court proceedings, and appoint VCs according to the existing university Acts and conventions.While removing the interim stay, the Supreme Court directed Madras High Court to decide on the case within six weeks. It also directed the state govt not to appoint VCs before the final order.“If the model code of conduct comes into effect for assembly election, the state govt cannot make any new appointments. It may delay the appointment of VCs for the next six months. The governor and the CM should give this issue the topmost priority,” said ex-VC of University of Madras P Thyagarajan.Former Anna University VC E Balagurusamy also urged the leaders to arrive at a temporary and pragmatic compromise.“The prolonged absence of regular VCs has begun to seriously impair the functioning of our universities. With respect to both the constitutional offices, I wish to submit that universities cannot remain hostages to an unresolved stand-off,” he said, adding that allowing them to drift in a state of uncertainty would risk long-term institutional damage that may not be easily reversible.Balagurusamy said the current crisis led to administrative paralysis, delayed academic decisions, stalled faculty recruitment, and uncertainty in financial governance. “More importantly, students who are entirely removed from this institutional dispute, are bearing the consequences,” he added.“One possible path forward could be the consensual use of the existing university Acts and established conventions to appoint VCs on an interim or regular basis, subject to the final outcome of judicial review,” the former VC said.
