SC issues notice to Centre, others on Tamil Nadu govt's plea against HC stay on VCs' appointment
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre, Tamil Nadu Governor's office, and others on a plea by the TN government challenging a Madras High Court order that stayed its power to appoint vice-chancellors at state universities.
Besides the two, a bench of justices PS Narasimha and R Mahadevan also issued a notice to the University Grants Commission on a plea against the May 21 interim order passed by a vacation bench of the high court.
The provision of the law for which the stay has been granted was originally among the bills that were given deemed assent by the Supreme Court in the Tamil Nadu government vs the Tamil Nadu governor case.
The high court's order had come on a PIL filed by a lawyer who challenged the constitutional validity of the state's amendments.
The petitioner argued that the laws violated UGC regulations, which are central and mandate that the appointment of VCs must be made by the chancellor, the governor of the state.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
