Anna University convocation will go on, Madras HC dismisses plea seeking stay

The convocation that is scheduled to take place on Friday will now go on as planned.

The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking a stay on Anna University convocation. Anna University Teachers Association had sought a stay on the convocation. They had also prayed that the resolution, passed by the syndicate committee of the university, to conduct the convocation on May 19 be declared illegal.

The petitioner had sought for an interim injunction to stop the syndicate committee from conducting the convocation. A vacation bench of Justice M Govindaraj of the Madras High Court judge turned down the plea. "In the absence of any legal embargo, this court is of the view that the convocation can be conducted as concerted by the chancellor as on May 19," the judge said while dismissing the petition.

The petitioner argued that only an academician should be the vice chancellor which was rejected by the Judge. "Nothing is in the statute to substantiate the arguments advanced by the petitioner's counsel that only an academician should hold the post of vice chancellor," the judge observed. The court also observed that the syndicate committee had the powers to conduct the convocation with any of the officers of the university.

In their plea before the Madras High Court, the teachers' association had submitted that if the term of the Vice Chancellor was over and the next VC is to be appointed the principal secretary of state Education Department need not function as the VC. "A search committee has already been appointed to identify the possible candidates for appointment as the VC and the process has to be completed," the association said in its petition. The plea maintained that only a new VC should convene the convocation and confer degrees. The same, however, was rejected by the court

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