The Tamil Nadu government has contended before the Madras High Court that the state legislature is fully empowered to amend laws governing the appointment of vice-chancellors at state-run universities, a power that was initially granted to the Governor. This argument was presented in a counter affidavit by Higher Education Secretary P. Shankar in response to a writ petition filed by Kutty alias K. Venkatachalapathy from Tirunelveli, which challenges nine amendment Acts passed by the Assembly. The Advocate General, P.S. Raman, noted that the High Court had previously stayed the operation of these amendments, but the Supreme Court overturned this stay in February 2026. The government argues that the petitioner, affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, has political motivations behind the litigation. Furthermore, the Secretary emphasized that vice-chancellors are classified as officers rather than teaching staff, thus exempting them from certain UGC regulations. The court is set to hear the case further in April 2026, with the government seeking dismissal of the petition and imposing costs.