Unneeded urgency

• The Madras High Court has halted the momentum following a Supreme Court verdict that granted deemed assent to 10 Bills.
• The interim order, delivered by Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan, restores the Governor-Chancellor’s powers of appointing V-Chancellors.
• This decision has left nearly a dozen universities headless, with appointments frozen until further judicial intervention.
• The High Court ruled that the impugned Acts violated the law laid down by the Supreme Court in prior rulings on V-C appointments.
• The High Court rejected the State’s argument that it had adopted the UGC Regulations in 2021, excluding Regulation 7.3.
• The High Court’s move to deprive the amended Acts of legal effect was criticized for overlooking the State’s request for urgent listing of a petition to transfer the case to itself.
• The Supreme Court must decide whether UGC Regulations issued by a subordinate authority can override State legislation enacted under constitutional authority.