T.N. government to withdraw G.O. promoting Dr. Ambedkar Law University Registrar as temporary Director of Legal Studies

Tamil Nadu Government has informed the Madras High Court of its decision to withdraw a Government Order (G.O.) issued on September 8, 2026, temporarily promoting Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University Registrar Gowri Ramesh as the Director of Legal Studies (DLS). It said, the vacancy shall be filled up through a regular process as contemplated under the Special Rules for the Tamil Nadu Collegiate Educational Service.

Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan recorded the submission made by Advocate General Vijay Narayan and disposed of a writ appeal filed against a single judge’s October 1, 2026 order granting an interim stay of the G.O. The Bench also closed the writ petition pending before the single judge since nothing survived in it pursuant to the government’s decision to withdraw the G.O.

Vellore Government Law College principal M. Rajeswaran had initially filed a writ petition in the High Court in June 2026 challenging a Government Order issued on March 3, 2026 allocating full additional charge of the post of DLS to Ms. Gowri. Then, he had contended that a full-time Registrar of the Law University could not be given additional charge of the full time post of DLS too and that it was against the service rules.

The petitioner contended that the vacancy in the post of DLS could be filled up only through direct recruitment, transfer or by promoting those holding the post of principal in any of the government law colleges spread across the State. Stating that he was senior to Ms. Gowri, the petitioner had wondered how could she attend the Syndicate meetings in her ex-officio capacity as the Registrar of the university and also as the DLS.

Justice P.T. Asha had entertained that writ petition on June 30, 2026 and stayed the operation of the March 3, 2026 G.O. When that stay order was taken on appeal by the State, the A-G told the first Division Bench that the State government intends to commence the regular process of appointing the DLS in accordance with Rule 2(a) of the Special Rules and complete it within a period of two months.

The Bench disposed of the writ appeal on July 23, 2026 after taking note that the government had also issued a G.O. on July 21, 2026 giving full additional charge of the post of DLS to a joint secretary in the Law department instead of Ms. Gowri.

Thereafter, the September 8, 2026 G.O. was issued temporarily promoting Ms. Gowri as the DLS by invoking the emergency powers conferred on the government under Section 47(1) of Tamil Nadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016. Hence, Mr. Rajeswaran had filed yet another writ petition in the High Court on September 29, 2026 challenging the latest G.O.

This time, Justice Mummineni Sudheer Kumar stayed the September 8, 2026 G.O. on the ground that the government ought not to have invoked Section 47(1) of the 2016 Act after having given an undertaking before the Division Bench in July 2026 that the post of DLS would be appointed in accordance with Rule 2(a) of the Special Rules.

When a State appeal against this stay order came up before the first Bench, the latter recorded A-G’s submission that the latest G.O. shall be withdrawn. “The State shall pursue with the promotion process in accordance with law. The statement of Advocate General that in the meantime, the State will take steps to fill up the post temporarily, as was done when the earlier writ appeal was disposed of, is recorded,” the Bench said.