‘No dodging’, HC warns TS

Bench tells state it may stay amendment on V- C appointments

A division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao, on Wednesday cautioned the TS government that it will grant a stay on a new amendment to State Universities Act, if the state continued to dodge spelling out its stand on a PIL.

The reference was to the amendment that took away the power of the Governor to appoint Vice-Chancellors to various varsities in the state.

The bench was dealing with a PIL by Manohar Rao, a retired professor of Osmania University, challenging the amendment which he said took away the autonomy of the varsities in the selection of V-Cs.

S. Sriram counsel for the petitioner said that the amendment will not allow the Governor hold the post of Chancellor of varsities of the state or appoint V-Cs.

He alleged that the TS government brought in the amendment with an intention to infuse politics into universities and to appoint persons of its choice as V-Cs.

While contending that the state government has no power to amend the law through a GO, he said that the amendment will enable even persons with experience in administrative fields to become V-Cs of universities in the state.

When counsel for the TS government sought some more time to file a counter-affidavit, the bench doubted whether the authorities were proceeding with the process of appointments without considering its earlier observation that any appointment would be subject to the final outcome of the PIL.