
TN govt appoints V-C search panels for Dr Ambedkar Law University
A three-member search panel — comprising Aruna Jagadeesan, retired judge of the Madras High Court, as the government's nominee, S Sachidhanandham, former V-C of the law university and former professor of National Law University (New Delhi), as the syndicate's nominee, and V Vijayakumar, former V-C of the law university, as the senate's nominee — has been constituted for selecting a new V-C for TN Dr Ambedkar Law University.
The search panel for Tamil University consists of five members. Justice KBK Vasuki, former Judge of the Madras High Court, and K Deenabandu, former Chief Secretary of TN, will be the government's nominees. M Selvam, retired professor of Bharathidasan University, and M Thangaraju, former V-C of Periyar University, will be the syndicate's nominees, and S Rajendran, professor and head of economics department of the Gandhigram Rural Institute, will be the senate's nominee.
Notably, the respective Acts governing these universities did not have a governor-chancellor's nominee in the search panel, unlike many other state universities. While the chancellor's nominees have been removed in some of these through 10 amendment bills cleared by the apex court, a few other universities still have the nominees.
It is to be noted that the 10 bills transferred the powers of appointing V-Cs in 18 state universities. Higher education department officials said search panels for all other state universities will be notified soon.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Plea in HC against Murugan statue
Chennai: Madras High Court has directed the state forest department to respond to a petition to halt construction of a 184-foot-tall Murugan statue at Marudhamalai, Coimbatore. A special division bench of Justices N Satish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the order on a plea moved by animal welfare activist S Muralidharan. According to the petitioner, Marudhamalai, located within the Coimbatore forest region, lies along an important elephant corridor and is an ecologically sensitive area. "Elephants use this area as a passage to move between the Nilgiri forests and other forest zones. Constructing a 184-foot statue in this region would require the clearing of forest land, which could disrupt elephant movement and lead to an increase in human-animal conflict," he said. He claimed that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted for the project and that necessary approvals were not obtained from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) or the forest department. Therefore, the petitioner wanted the court to direct the state govt to stay all the construction activities related to the statue. He further wanted the court to direct the authorities to close illegal resorts operating in Anaikatti, another known elephant corridor. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai


The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Progressive laws are the foundation of a civilised society, says High Court Judge
Madras High Court Judge G.K. Ilanthiraiyan, at an awareness programme in Namakkal, said that many progressive laws have been enacted in our country to improve the dignity and safety of women. A district-level awareness programme for gender sensitisation and elimination of violence against women was held on the premises of District Government Medical College on Saturday (July 26, 2025). Principal District and Sessions Judge R. Gurumurthy delivered the welcome address. Speaking at the programme, Justice Ilanthiraiyan said the laws that promote gender equality, equity, empowerment of women, and prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace are being fully implemented. They are the foundation of a civilised society. As guardians of the law, we are responsible for justice for every citizen. He emphasised that yet, for a long time, justice has remained unequal in its delivery, especially along gender lines. Justice Ilanthiraiyan shared that over the years, India has enacted several progressive laws to address gender injustice and to enhance the dignity and safety of women. 'Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Indian Constitution guarantee the right to equality, non-discrimination, and equal opportunity. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013; the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961; the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017; the Child Marriage Prohibition Act, 2006; and the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, provide protection and empower women,' he added. Stating that laws, no matter how much progressive, can only achieve their objectives if they are properly implemented, Justice Ilanthiraiyan said that women across the country faced challenges ranging from gender-based violence, discriminatory employment practices, political underrepresentation, and culture. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 report, more than 4.5 lakh cases of crimes against women have been registered, which is more than in previous years. The female labour force participation rate in India is at 32.8%, significantly lower than the global average of 50%. Women constitute only 15% of the members of the Lok Sabha. The proposed Women's Reservation Bill, which would provide 33% reservation for women in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies, remains an aspiration rather than a reality. Women now account for 43% of STEM graduates in India, one of the highest in the world, he added. On Saturday morning, Justice Ilanthiraiyan laid the foundation for the construction of five judicial officers' quarters at the master plan complex in Namakkal.


New Indian Express
2 days ago
- New Indian Express
Transformer scam: Reply sought from former Electricity Min Balaji, DVAC
CHENNAI: Justice P Velmurugan of the Madras High Court on Friday ordered notice to the director of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), the chairman and managing director of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), former electricity minister V Senthil Balaji and others on a petition filed by E Saravanan, deputy secretary of AIADMK lawyers' wing. The petition had sought directions to the DVAC to register an FIR in connection with the alleged irregularities in procurement of transformers. The petitioner alleged that Rs 397 crore loss was inflicted on the public sector undertaking due to the irregularities in procuring 45,800 transformers at a cost of Rs 1,068 crore during 2021-23. He stated the DVAC has not taken appropriate action based on his representation submitted in May seeking registration of FIR and setting up a special investigation team to probe the matter. The judge further directed the Registry to tag this petition with the one filed by Arappor Iyakkam on the same issue and adjourned hearing by four weeks.