Chennai: Following a Supreme Court order granting it control, the state govt has notified vice-chancellor (VC) search panels for five state universities. While fresh panels were formed for Tamil University and Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University, the govt revived the panels formed earlier for Bharathiar University, Bharathidasan University and Periyar University. The panels will have four months to submit three names each to the govt, which will then choose the VCs.
These panels were formed based on the university Acts and without nominees from UGC. The insistence on UGC nominees by Governor R N Ravi created a rift with the state govt and delayed appointment of VCs. At present, 11 of 22 state universities do not have VCs.

Higher education department sources said the state govt will form search panels for four more universities soon. The panel for University of Madras will be formed after getting assent from the President for amending the university Act.
Search panel for Bharathiar University includes former bureaucrat P W C Davidar and former VCs of University of Madras, P Duraisamy and G Thiruvasagam. Panel for Bharathidasan University has former bureaucrat K Deenabandu, S Subbiah, and M Rajendran, former VC of Tamil University. The panel for Periyar University includes former bureaucrat D Jothi Jagarajan, M Thangaraju, former VC of Periyar University, and M Bhaskaran, former VC of TN Open University.
TN Dr Ambedkar Law University’s vice-chancellor search committee will have Justice Aruna Jagadesan (govt nominee), professors S Sachidhanandam (syndicate nominee), and V Vijayakumar (academic senate nominee), both former VCs of the law university.
Tamil University VC search panel will have Justice K B K Vasuki, retired judge of Madras HC (govt nominee), retired IAS officer K Deenabandhu (govt nominee), professor M Selvam (syndicate nominee), professor M Thangaraj, former VC of Periyar University (syndicate nominee), and professor M Rajendran, head of the department of economics, Gandhigram University (senate nominee). In the Tamil University VC search panel, the governor’s nominee is replaced by the govt nominee.