Madras HC quashes state govt order, allows appointment of 18 assistant professors at Loyola College

The Madras High Court has granted permission for the appointment of 18 assistant professors at Loyola College, Chennai quashing an order of the joint director of collegiate education. It said that the approval cannot be denied just because vacancy details were not provided.

The joint director of collegiate education had refused approval for the appointment of 18 assistant professors and one librarian at Loyola College. Challenging this order, the college administration filed a petition in the high court.

Senior advocate Isaac Mohanlal, appearing for Loyola College, argued that the college had approval for 149 teaching posts and 59 non-teaching posts, and therefore had full authority to fill these vacancies.

Advocate Jayaprakash, on behalf of the state, argued that the approval was withheld because the details such as the list of sanctioned posts in 1999–2000, the list of professors employed since 1999, and the resolutions of the college committee related to appointments had not been submitted by the college.

Justice C Kumarappan, who heard the matter, ruled that in minority institutions, the state government has the authority only to determine the educational qualifications of professors. “It cannot deny approval for the appointment of assistant professors merely because vacancy details were not provided,” the court said.

The judge quashed the order refusing approval and directed the joint director of collegiate education to grant approval for the 19 appointments made at Loyola College within three months.