Appoint VCs in eight weeks: HC to government

HYDERABAD: The High Court issued interim orders on Thursday directing the government to fill up all the vacant posts of vicechancellors within eight weeks.The court also directed the government to fill up vacancies in the executive councils of universities.All the appointments will, however, be subject to the final judgment to be delivered by the court shortly. In all, 17 of the 24 state universities are functioning with incharge vicechancellors.The interim orders were issued to this effect while hearing a writ petition filed in connection with the alleged violation of Andhra Pradesh Universities Act and other norms in the appointment of vicechancellors to universities.Speaking to reporters, APSCHE chairman P Jayaprakash Rao said the government would abide by the court orders and complete the recruitment process within the specified time. The appointment of vicechancellors to some universities has been pending for more than a year and the institutions are being run with incharge vicechancellors. Though the governmentappointed search committees had finalised a panel of three candidates each for each university, the government asked the committees to submit fresh panels of candidates for unknown reasons.The process was stalled after a writ petition filed in the HC in September.