Bhubaneswar: With the Supreme Court on Wednesday lifting the stay on appointment of vice-chancellors and faculty members in state public universities, appointments can now be made in accordance with the new Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2024, according to an official statement issued by the higher education department here on Thursday.Welcoming the SC’s decision, higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj said the verdict confirmed that the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020, introduced by the previous govt was flawed and violated the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.“Lifting of the stay will pave the way for appointment of vice-chancellors and faculty members to resume under the framework of the newly amended Act. Expeditious steps will be taken to fill up the vacant posts,” he said.Suraj said this judgment does away with stagnation in the higher education recruitment process caused by the historical error of the previous govt. “Our govt is committed to comprehensive development of education in the state. The new amendment law has been framed toeing the UGC guidelines to strengthen the higher education system in Odisha,” he added.He said after an overnight discussion in the state assembly, the Bill was passed on April 2 and received the Governor’s assent, leading to the enactment of the new law. This marks a new dawn in Odisha’s higher education landscape, he added. “Priority will now be given to ensuring university autonomy, preserving academic culture, and accelerating the recruitment process. The newly-amended Act will serve as a milestone in strengthening the higher educational ecosystem of the state,” said the official statement.According to the amended Act, the recruitment of faculty members in the state public universities will not be conducted through the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC). Now, universities will form a committee comprising educationists for faculty recruitment. For the selection of a vice-chancellor of a state public university, a three-member committee will be constituted. Only distinguished educationists from the field of higher education will be part of this committee. The age limit for vice-chancellors has been increased from 67 to 70 years.According to the previous Act, one member of the search-cum-selection committee for vice-chancellors should be a superannuated officer of the state govt. Educationists had opposed it stating that it compromises the autonomy of universities.