In a major setback for the Telangana government, the Hyderabad High Court quashed the former's decision to appoint Vice-Chancellors for some universities in the State.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice A V Sesha Sai passed a judgment setting aside the GOs appointing the VCs, and forbid the appointment of new VCs for the next four weeks.
The court reportedly saw the appointments as a political move instead of an academic one. Some of the appointees reportedly had contested as MPs and MLAs in the past but had lost.
The High Court sought to know why the government took the decision in haste even though a petition concerning the appointment of Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors was pending in the court.
The court reportedly made some remarks against the government for not waiting for a little while more given that the appointment of the Vice-Chancellors was already delayed by two years.
"What was the urgency to issue a GO to appoint Vice-Chancellors when the case was sub-judice?" Justice Bhosale asked. He sought to know why the government could not wait for another two or three days since the posts were vacant for nearly 2 years. "You should not have done this," the Bench said, expressing its displeasure over the government's decision.
The State government is reportedly planning to move the Supreme Court against the High Court's decision.
The government had made the appointments without following the UGC norms or appointing appropriate search committees, and by altering the eligibility criteria. Appointment through a search committee protects the autonomy of the university in question, by ensuring that no political influence over the administration plays a role in the selection.
filed in:Hyderabad High Court, Education, Telangana