Tamil Nadu tells HC of decision to repeal Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University Act

A Government Order was issued in this regard on Tuesday, it says

August 05, 2021 01:25 am | Updated 01:25 am IST - CHENNAI

The State government on Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that it has decided to repeal the Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University Act of 2021 promulgated during the AIADMK regime in February for establishing a university, named after the former Chief Minister, with territorial jurisdiction over Villupuram, Kallakurichi and Cuddalore districts.

Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy were told that a Government Order was issued by the Higher Education Department on Tuesday, expressing the State’s intent to repeal the legislation.

Advocate General R. Shunmugasundaram produced the G.O. during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition filed by former Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam.

The judges asked the A-G to share the G.O. with senior counsel Vijay Narayan, representing the former Minister in the PIL petition, and adjourned the case to Friday so that counsel could get back after perusing the order.

The G.O. stated that Annamalai University, established at Chidambaram in Cuddalore district in 1929, was the second oldest university in the State. However, the university continued to remain a unitary institution and not an affiliating institution since inception. Its status did not change even after it was brought under government control in 2013 due to poor financial position.

A senior IAS officer appointed as its administrator had made a series of recommendations in 2015 for reviving the finances of the university.

One of those recommendations was to convert it into an affiliating university with jurisdiction over Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Ariyalur districts. Nevertheless, the recommendation was not implemented till date and the government continued to sanction money on a monthly basis to pay salaries to the employees of Annamalai University.

Affiliating university

Therefore, now the government had decided that it would be more purposeful if the university could be converted into an affiliating university with jurisdiction over Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Mayiladuthurai districts by amending the Annamalai University Act of 2013 and repealing the Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University Act of 2021, the G.O. read.

Mr. Shunmugam accused the DMK government of neglecting the Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University and sought a direction to provide necessary funds for its smooth functioning and upkeep.

The litigant also urged the court to restrain Thiruvalluvar University — which was bifurcated to establish the new university — from operating postgraduate extension centres in Villupuram in violation of the provisions of the 2021 Act.

Mr. Shanmugam said the new university was established following a request made by him last year in his capacity as an MLA representing the constituency.

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