Madras HC stays proceedings of search committee

A division bench of the court's Madurai bench, comprising Justices K K Sasidharan and G R Swaminathan stayed the proceedings after hearing a PIL filed by a former Tiruchirappalli Law College Student.

It also ordered issue of notice to the Secretary of the Law Department.

The petitioner submitted that as per UGC norms and rules the search committee members should have high credentials, be without bias and should have outstanding record for contribution towards legal education.

The petitioner said he had also sent a representation to the government law department to fix guidelines for constituting the search committee and selecting the members.

Party membership card holders could not be members of the search committee, he submitted.

Hence, the court should intervene and stay all the proceedings of the search committee formed by a government order,and also quash the order, the petitioner said.

The petitioner prayed that the court should direct the government to reconstitute the search committee with members eminent in the field of law for the selection of the vice chancellor of the Dr Ambedkar Law university where about 1200 students are studying.