Catholic officials have welcomed a ruling by the top court in Tamil Nadu state, in southern India, reaffirming the autonomy of higher education institutions run by religious minority groups.”We are very happy that the high court has rightly upheld the constitutional provisions for minority higher education institutions to select their staff, which is essential for their existence as minority institutions with core values,” said Maria Charles, a Catholic priest and secretary of the Indian bishops’ Office of Edu-cation and Culture. The respon-se came after the Madras High Court in the Tamil Nadu state capital, Chennai, ordered two state-run universities on March 27 to approve the appointment of 66 assistant professors and a principal at five Christian-run colleges, which had been pending since 2020. The court ruling followed a petition from the Women’s Christian College, the Madras Christian College, Loyola College, and the Stella Maris College, all four in Chennai. Meanwhile, Sacred Heart Arts & Science College in Tindivanam challenged Annamalai University’s refusal to allow it to appoint a princi-pal. The state pays staff sala-ries in such state-aided colle-ges, but only after the university under which they function approves the staff appointments.
The Madras University blocked the appointment of the 66 assistant professors selected by the four Chennai-based colleges. Christian colleges challenged Madras University’s decision, resulting in the current order.