R. SURESH KUMAR, J. AND G.ARUL MURUGAN, J. (Order of the Court was made by R.SURESH KUMAR, J.) Though we have heard this batch of writ appeals for a considerable time, still the learned counsel appearing for both sides want to make further submissions and their main area of concern is as to whether the respondents in some of the writ appeals filed by the Anna University

W.A.Nos.2025 to 2028 of 2019, 1173, 1174, 1175, 1176, 1178,
1179, 1180, 1181, 1182, 1184, 1185, 1186, 1188, 1189, 1190,
1191, 1192, 1193, 1194 and 1195 of 2020
R. SURESH KUMAR, J. AND G.ARUL MURUGAN, J.
(Order of the Court was made by R.SURESH KUMAR, J.)
Though we have heard this batch of writ appeals for a considerable time, still the learned counsel appearing for both sides want to make further submissions and their main area of concern is as to whether the respondents in some of the writ appeals filed by the Anna University and the appellants in some of the writ appeals filed by them, who are otherwise called as ‘Teaching Fellows’ who have been temporarily engaged by the Anna University and have been working for several years, whether would be absorbed on a permanent basis in the University as a Faculty with the nomenclature of Assistant Professors from the date of their original engagement or not was the question posed before this Court.
2. After having analyzed the factors that have been projected before this Court, we deem it fit to permit the Anna University to go ahead with their proposal for recruitment process by inviting applications from open market candidates, where the present incumbents viz., these Teaching Fellows also can participate.
3. Therefore, we decided to pass the present order as an interim measure which may give a quietus to the issue. However, pursuant to this interim order if the recruitment process is completed and ultimately if any further issue is to be decided, the parties are free to make their submissions in those lines in order to establish their respective rights and that kind of issues would be heard and settled finally at the time of disposal of these writ appeals.
4. The reason being for taking such a decision to pass this interim order at this juncture is, one set of writ appeals arising out of the very same common judgment of the writ Court filed in the year 2021, as per the roster, is pending before another Division Bench of this Court, which is yet to be taken up for hearing.
5. However, due to urgency as the Anna University since has been functioning without permanent faculty of more than 200 plus at the entry level Assistant Professors correspondingly the promotion category of Associate
Professors and Professors in large numbers as per the norms of AICTE as well as approved cadre strength of the Anna University are also vacant, it became necessitated for us to pass this interim order in order to streamline the system enabling the Anna University to conduct the courses in their constituent colleges hassle free with adequate number of teaching faculty so that the education of thousands of students who have been admitted and are studying in those constituent colleges of the Anna University may not get affected.
6. Now let us turn to the short facts which are leading to filing of these writ appeals. In the year 2011, the Tamil Nadu State Legislature has brought a legislation called Tamil Nadu University Laws (Amendment and Repeal) Act, 2011 (Act 20 of 2011). The said Act came into effect from 01.08.2012. The objects and reasons given by the legislature for bringing the said Act 20 of
2011 are to be usefully referred to hereunder, which reads thus:
ACT No. 20 of 2011.
An Act further amend the Anns University Act, 1978 and to repeal certain University Laws.
WHEREAS the Perarignar Anna University of Technology (Unitary type) was established in 1978 comprising the College of Engineering, Guindy, four deparirriants of tha University of Madras located in the Alagappa Chettlyar College of Technology, Guindy and Madras Institute of
Technology, Chrompet, Chennai by the Perarignar Anna University of Technology Act, 1978 (Tamil Nadu Act 30 of 1978). Its name was changed as Anna University in 1982 by amending the said Tamil Nadu Act 30 of 1978, by the Perarignar Anna University of Technology (Amendment and Special Provisions) Act, 1982 (Tamil Nadu Act 26 of 1982);
AND WHEREAS the Anna University was converted into an affiliating type university by amending the said Tamil Nadu Act 30 of 1978 suitably, by the Anna University (Amendment) Act, 2001 (Tamil Nadu Act 26 of 2001) with effect from the 31st December 2001. Consequent upon this, 237 Engineering Colleges, which were earlier affiliated to various Universities in the State, were affiliated to the Anna University.
AND WHEREAS in December 2006, after the Anna University became the affiliating type University, it was realized that managing the affairs of more than 240 engineering colleges across the State from Chennai was difficult. The Government subsequently established five more Technical Universities namely, the Anna University, Tiru‘chirappalli by Tamil Nadu
Act 41 of 2006 and the Anna University, Coimbatore by Tamil Nadu Act
42 of 2006, with effect from the 1st February 2007 and the Anna
University, Tirunelveli by Tamil Nadu Act 28 of 2007 with effect from the
17th July 2007, the Anna University of Technology, Chennai by Tamil
Nadu Act 26 of 2010 and the Anna University of Technology, Madurai by
Tamil Nadu Act 27 of 2010, with effect from the 19th June 2010, in the
State with clearly demarcated areas. Subsequently, the Anna University,
Tiruchirappalli, the Anna University, Coimbatore and the Anna
University, Tirunelveli are renamed as the Anna University of
Technology, Tiruchirappalli, the Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore and the Anna University of Technology, Tirunelveli, respectively;
AND WHEREAS, in the year 2010, the Anna University, Chennai has been converted again into an unitary type University as it existed prior to 2002 with effect from the 19th June 2010;
AND WHEREAS, in the past four years of the functioning of the Universities of Technology, the following difficulties are experienced:—
(i) There is confusion due to the establishmént of several Universities in the same name of Anna University of Technology;
(ii) As each University is following its own syllabus, there is no uniformity in curricula and teaching the subjects to the students;
(iii) There is a lot of difference in examining the skills of the students, as each University is following its own procedures regarding the assessment qf skills of the students. The Common Board comprising the ViceChancellors formed to examine the above issues could not find suitable solutions;
(iv) Though separate Anna Universities of Technology have been established, the fully qualified professors remained in the Anna University (Unitary type). Due to this, the skills of those professors are not accessible to the students of the other Anna Universities of Technology;
(v) There is apprehension in the minds of the students studying in the Anna Universities of Technology that they may not get recognition in the job market and international education milieu on par with the student in the Anna University (Unitary type);
(vi) Except the Anna University of. Technology, Tiruchirappalli, the other Anna Universities of Technology are not having full fledged infrastructure facilities;
(viii) The financial viability of the Anna Universities of Technology is in question as they do not f\ave sufficient number of colleges affiliated to them;
ANO WHEREAS, in order to remove the difficulties and confusions, the Government have decided to wind up the Anna Universities ef Technology established under various Anna University of Techno1ogy Acts and to bring all the engineering colleges in the State under the Anna University by converting the said University into an affiliating type University;”
7. In Act 20 of 2011, under Section 15 a new chapter in the original Act called Chapter VIII has been inserted. The relevant portion of Chapter VIII under the heading ‘Repeal of Certain University Laws and Transfer of Certain
Colleges’ are extracted hereunder for easy reference.
“33(1) Repeal of University Laws:- The Anna University of Technology,
Tiruchirapalli Act, 2006 (Tamil Nadu Act 41 of 2006), The Anna
University of Technology, Coimbatore Act, 2006 (Act 42 of 2006), The Anna University of Technology, Tirunelveli Act, 2007 (Tamil Nadu Act 28 of 2007), The Anna University of Technology, Chennai Act, 2010 (Tamil Nadu Act 26 of 2010) and the Anna University of Technology, Madurai Act, 2010 (Tamil Nadu Act 27 of 2010) (hereinafter in this section referred to a the University Acts) are hereby repealed.
……
(8) On and from the notified date :-
(a) all constituent colleges of the Anna University of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore, Anna
University of Technology, Tirunelveli, Anna University of Technology, Chennai and Anna University of Technology, Madurai shall cease to be constituent colleges of the respective Universities and shall be transferred to, and maintained by, the Anna University as the constituent colleges of that University.
(b) all properties, assets and liabilities of the Anna University of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore,
Anna University of Technology, Tirunelveli, Anna University of Technology, Chennai and Anna University of Technology, Madurai and of their constituent colleges shall stand transferred to,and vest in, in the Anna University.
(9) (a) Every person, who, immediately before the notified date is serving in the Anna University of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore, Anna University of Technology, Tirunelveli, Anna University of Technology, Chennai and Anna University of Technology, Madurai or in any of the constituent colleges of that Universities shall cease to be an employee of that Universities, or of the constituent colleges, as the case may be;
(b) As soon as may be, after the notified date, the Government may, after consulting the Vice Chancellors of the Universities in the State and such other authorities, as they deem fit, by general or special order, that the employees referred to in clause (a) as specified in such order, shall stand allotted to serve in connection with the affairs of an University as an educational institution or a Government department, with effect on and from the date, as may be specified in such order.”
8. Therefore, what has prompted the Tamil Nadu Legislature to bring four separate legislations under which four separate Universities in the name of Anna University at various places like Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and Madurai was established and also what was the necessity for the legislature to make legislations to convert the Anna University into a Unitary University once again and make it an affiliating university again, has been mentioned in the objects and reasons as stated supra.
9. Ultimately, what prompted the State Legislature to legislate Act 20 of
2011 also has been set out in the aforesaid objects and reasons and Act 20 of 2011 has been brought in, under which those Universities Acts creating separate Anna Universities at various places as affiliating Universities in the regions concerned since has been repealed, ultimately by virtue of that repeal, the Anna University at Chennai which was originally the Unitary University and has been subsequently converted as affiliating university, again converted as Unitary University, which has been restored once again as the affiliating university for the whole of the State of Tamil Nadu with regard to technical institutions.
10. During this process of separation, merger, conversion, transmission etc., of Anna University, there had been some confusion with regard to the selection of teaching faculties. Insofar as the Anna Universities established at four other places other than Chennai as stated supra are concerned, in respect of those Universities, either in the University campus or in their constituent colleges which required teaching faculties, applications were called for from eligible candidates. There is a dispute between the parties in this lis, as to whether it is only a local selection committee or a duly constituted selection committee who selected the Teaching Fellows and this controversy is not going to be decided now.
11. The respondents in the appeals and appellants in some of the appeals who are otherwise called as “Teaching Fellows” by the Anna University were selected and appointed on temporary basis either before merger ie., in the years 2010, 2011 or after merger ie., after 2012. It is to be noted that, after the Act 20 of 2011 came into effect from 01.08.2012, all such Universities since got merged with the Anna University, Chennai and it has become one University for the whole State, these Teaching Fellows who were engaged and were working at various places which are subsequently been called as University Campuses or Constituent Colleges, whether to be merged with the Main University and whether their continuance would be permitted by the Anna University on a permanent basis was the moot question.
12. In this context, apprehending that these Teaching Fellows would be ousted at various point of time by Anna University, some of them have approached this Court and filed writ petitions. At one point of time, notifications had been issued by the Anna University to go ahead with the selection and appointment of Teaching Faculties on permanent basis sometime in the year 2015, which triggered those Teaching Fellows to once again approach this Court by filing writ petitions in the year 2015 challenging the attempt made by the Anna University to go ahead with the selection and appointment of Teaching Faculties on permanent basis.
13. Therefore, broadly speaking, at least there were two set of litigations that came up before this Court. One set of writ petitions in
W.P.No.34079 of 2018 etc., batch came up for consideration before the writ Court, where a learned Judge of this Court, by a common order dated
22.04.2019 had dismissed all those writ petitions. As against which,
W.A.Nos.2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028 of 2019 were filed by the Teaching Fellows.
14. Another set of writ petitions were filed both in the Principal Seat as well as in Madurai Bench of this Court in W.P.(MD) Nos.24819 of 2018 etc., batch, which were also heard and disposed of by the writ Court through a common order of a learned Judge of this Court on 09.11.2020, where the learned Judge, in the operative portion, has given the following directions.
“51.In view of the above discussion, this Court orders as follows:
[a] The Notifications / Advertisements dated 07.06.2019 and
19.12.2019 are hereby quashed and accordingly W.P.Nos.18359/2019, 35866/2019 and W.P.No.255 of 2020 are hereby allowed.
[b] Since the practice of engaging teachers on hourly basis has been stopped by the Anna University, the same is recorded and W.P.Nos.22621,22627, 22560 and 22606 of 2019 are disposed of.
[c] The Petitioners are directed to be engaged as Temporary Assistant professors with effect from 01.12.2020, by the Respondent University until the regular recruitment is completed and vacant posts are filled up. At the time of filling up the posts on a regular basis, the observations made by this Court in Paragraph No.49, shall be followed
scrupulously. W.P.Nos.19958/2019, 20268/2019, 21393/2019, 24286/2019, 21619/2019 32076/2019, 1079/2020 1665/2020, 22105/2019, 35583/2019, 8431/2017, 21578/2019, W.P.(MD).No.24819/2019 and W.P.(MD).No.4887/2019 are disposed of accordingly.
[d] Considering the financial burden that will be incurred by the Anna University, this Court is not inclined to order payment of salary to the Petitioners on par with the monthly gross salary of a regularly appointed Assistant Professor, for the past services. However, immediately on engaging the services of the Petitioners as directed in Clause (c), University shall pay the Petitioners the monthly gross salary of a regularly appointed Assistant Professor. W.P.Nos.8169, 8170, 8172 and 8512 of 2020, are disposed of accordingly.
[e] Cont.P(MD) Nos.945 and 946 of 2019 are hereby closed.”
15. Aggrieved over the said order passed by the learned Judge through the common order dated 09.11.2020, a set of writ appeals have been filed by the Anna University, which are the other writ appeals in this batch.
16. It is further to be noted that, as against the order passed by the writ Court dated 09.11.2020, another set of writ appeals have been filed by the Teaching Fellows with regard to certain observations and directions given by the learned Judge and those writ appeals are since of the year 2021, pending before another Division Bench as per the roster.
17. That is how this batch of writ appeals came to be grouped together and were taken up for hearing by this Bench.
18. As we indicated in the opening paragraph, though arguments were advanced by the learned counsel appearing for the parties at length, and submissions have to be made by the learned Standing Counsel for Anna University and reply have to be given by the respective learned counsels appearing for the Teaching Fellows, at that juncture the Anna University had indicated the urgency to go ahead with the recruitment process to select Teaching Faculties in Assistant Professor cadre on permanent basis, because, at least as of now 232 vacancies are to be filled up in that category. With that large number of vacancies, it is very difficult for the constituent colleges of Anna University to cope up with the teaching needs. Therefore, on behalf of the Anna University, it was submitted that, the University may be permitted to go ahead with the selection process for inviting applications from eligible candidates from the open market by issuing notification in that regard.
19. The said move was opposed by the learned counsels appearing for the Teaching Fellows and they stated that since they had been working in the University for ten plus years (most of them) and for several years by other Teaching Fellows, their services cannot be abruptly dispensed with.
20. We have considered that aspect of the submissions made by the learned Standing Counsel for the Anna University as well as the learned counsel for the Teaching Fellows. Even though the main issue raised in this batch of writ appeals is as to whether these Teaching Fellows are entitled to get automatic absorption from the date of their initial engagement, as we indicated in the opening paragraph, we feel that, there is a long way to go to reach such a conclusion, as arguments and counter arguments are still to be made by the respective learned counsel for the parties.
21. That apart, another set of writ appeals arising out of the same common order filed in the year 2021 are pending consideration before another Division Bench of this Court as per the roster. When that being so, it may not be conducive to give a quietus by disposing of the entire batch of writ appeals finally as that may lead to conflicting views or decisions.
22. However, we must take judicial notice that the Anna University is one of the reputed Universities in the country and the Engineers produced by this University for the last several decades have reached the pinacle in the field of technological advancement, not only in India but globally and the testimony of the calibre of the University can be easily gathered. The celebrity citizen of this country and former President of India Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam was also a product of this prestigious Anna University.
23. Such a pioneer institution in the field of technology cannot be compelled to run the University along with its constituent colleges with heavy lack of teaching faculties as the entry level post of Assistant Professor itself is vacant to the extent of 230 plus as of now. Therefore, it became an immediate need for selection and appointment of teaching faculties in the University Constituent colleges without any further loss of time.
24. Only in these peculiar circumstances, by taking into account the need for permanent faculties in the Anna University, we felt that the Anna University can be permitted to go ahead with the selection process for selection and appointment of Assistant Professors on permanent basis to fill up the existing 232 vacancies.
25. In this context, as per our directions, the Anna University has filed the Draft Notification to be issued or published, inviting applications for the aforesaid recruitment process, where, taking note of the discussions that had taken place during the last four hearings before this Court, the Anna University has come forward to give some weightage to these Teaching Fellows during the selection process. The relevant portion of the Draft Notification, where such a weightage has been indicated is at Clauses 20, 21 and 22, which are reproduced hereunder for easy reference.
“20. The candidates will be shortlisted for interview in the ratio of 1:5 based on the marks secured in the written test and number of vacancy positions. For example, if there is only one vacancy, 5 candidates will be shortlisted and in case of ‘n’ vacancies, 5 x n’ candidates will be shortlisted. In case of a tie in mark of the last candidate (that is the ‘5nth candidate), all candidates secured the same mark will be shortlisted,
In addition to the above shortlisted candidates, the University shall shortlist only the Teaching Fellows who continue to be engaged on the date of the written test and secures Marks > (Mark obtained by 5nth candidate).
21. Evaluation Scheme for the recruitment for the post of Assistant Professor is detailed below:
S.No. Evaluation Scheme Max.Marks
1 Written Test 60
2 Assessment of Domain Knowledge and Teaching Skills [Presentation on the subject of applicant’s specialization to the Expert Committee] 20
3 Interview Performance [Personal
Interview by Selection Committee] 20
22. In the personal interview, persons who have been engaged as Teaching Fellows by the University, qualified in the written test and continue to be engaged on the date of the interview, shall be eligible for 1 mark for every year of engagement as a Teaching Fellow in the University, subject to a maximum of 5 marks in the interview process.”
26. Placing this Draft Notification Mr.Avinash Wadhwani, learned Standing Counsel appearing for the Anna University has submitted that, the pattern of the selection process would consist of three stages. In the first stage, there will be written test consisting of 60 marks. In the written test, based on the inter se marks secured by all candidates, by applying 69% communal reservation as well as the 200 Point Roster, candidates would be called for interview in the ratio of 1:5. Accordingly, the cut-off mark will be fixed for each communal category as well as open competition. However, 5% concession wil be given in the cut-off marks for these Teaching Fellows. For example, suppose in the Backward Class (B.C) category, the cut-off mark is 30 out of 60, 5% concession will be 1½ marks. Therefore, for the Teaching Fellows belonging to B.C. the cut off marks will be 28.5 and the Teaching
Fellows in B.C categories who secure 28.5 marks will be called for interview. This is the first concession at the written test stage that would be given for the Teaching Fellows.
27. The learned counsel would further submit that the second stage would be assessment of domain knowledge and teaching skills, under which presentation on the subject of applicant’s specialization to the Expert Committee to be undertaken, and based on such performance, marks would be awarded by the Team of Experts and in this category, the maximum marks are 20.
28. Thirdly, there will be a personal interview, under which the candidate would be interviewed by the Team of Experts, where the maximum marks provided would be 20. Here also, as per Clause 22, the present Teaching Fellows would be given weightage of one (1) mark for each completed year as Teaching Fellow in the Anna University and there will be a maximum of five(5) such marks would be provided for each candidate, depending upon their length of service/experience. This is the second concession which would be given by the Anna University taking into consideration their continuous engagement by the University from their initial engagement till date.
29. We have considered and evaluated the said submissions made by the learned Standing Counsel for the Anna University and the relevant Clauses viz., Clauses 20, 21 and 22 of the Draft Notification. If this kind of concession and weightage are provided to the Teaching Fellows, who are the contesting respondents in this batch of writ appeals, we feel that, those Teaching Fellows definitely would be in an advantageous position comparing with the open market candidates. This kind of weightage and concessions normally would be given only for those candidates whose services have already been utilized by the employer / institution concerned. Here also, since Anna University being the employer, has already utilized the services of these Teaching Fellows, has come forward to give this weightage and concession to these Teaching Fellows. Of course, this kind of weightage was indicated by the learned Judge in his order dated 09.11.2020 also and during the deliberations before this Court in this batch of writ appeals for the past four or five hearings, this kind of proposal has been mooted and has been accepted by both sides.
30. Despite this weightage and concession having been indicated in the Draft Notification which are going to be issued by the Anna University, the learned counsels for the Teaching Fellows still raise certain points. Firstly they say that, because they are subjected to this kind of recruitment process, their right to claim permanency or absorption from the date of their initial engagement which are the subject matter in these appeals, cannot be denuded or cannot be taken as if it has been given a go-by by the Teaching Fellows. Secondly, they state that they had been working in the Anna University as
Faculties in the cadre of Assistant Professors, of course in the name of Teaching Fellows, though they have been doing all the regular teaching jobs of the regular Assistant Professors of the University, and such services they have been rendering to the University for several years, the University has not paid them equal to the regular Assistant Professors. Thirdly, their apprehension is that, the University, for the reasons best known to them, may make an endeavour to eliminate these Teaching Fellows during the selection process by strictly assessing the domain knowledge according to their wish through the Expert Committee to be constituted in this regard.
31. Though these kind of apprehensions have been raised by the learned counsels appearing for the Teaching Fellows and still they want to establish their right of absorption from the date of their initial engagement, we feel that, by virtue of the present interim order, if everything takes place in the expected lines by conducting the recruitment process strictly as per the Draft Notification by giving weightage and concession to these Teaching Fellows, these Teaching Fellows since have gained rich experience as a faculty of the Anna University for all these years, certainly would perform well in the selection process competing with the open market candidates. If the performance of these Teaching Fellows are enhanced by giving weightage and concession, certainly they will march over the freshers or open market candidates. By thus, the resultant situation may be in favour of these Teaching Fellows.
32. Therefore, the apprehension that they have raised now might have no strong basis to be considered by this Court at this juncture. More over, since it is only an interim order, and another set of writ appeals since are pending before another Division bench of this Court arising out of the same common judgment, the final hearing of these writ appeals cannot be taken up as of now and the final hearing of these appeals can be taken up only after completion of this selection process as per the Draft Notification, which is going to be issued shortly by the Anna University. Therefore, we are satisfied that the present move of the University to go ahead with the selection process by inviting applications from the open market candidates and also permitting the present Teaching Fellows to participate in the selection process by making their applications, is a good move for which the Court cannot say ‘No’.
33. Resultantly, the following orders are passed.
(a)Anna University is permitted to issue / publish the necessary
Notifications as per the Draft Notification submitted before this
Court inviting the applications from eligible candidates including the Teaching Fellows, who have been working with the Anna University constituent colleges who are 372 in number in the selection process of recruitment and appointment to the post of Assistant Professors in various Departments of the University constituent colleges.
(b)Clauses 20, 21 and 22 of the Draft Notification shall also form part of the proposed Notification.
(c) The concession in the written examination, weightage in the interview as provided in Clauses 20, 21 and 22 shall be strictly followed.
(d)The entire selection process shall be completed by the Anna University within three (3) months from the date of receipt of a copy of this order and the final selection list shall not be published unless orders are passed by this Court in this regard and such list shall be placed before this Court in a sealed cover on the next hearing date.
(e)Insofar as W.A.Nos.1192 and 1185 of 2020 are concerned, the contesting respondents therein are Teaching Fellows in the Department of Physics and Chemistry respectively. In the proposed notification to be issued by the Anna University, since no vacancy is going to be filled up in the Department of Physics and Chemistry, it has been assured by the learned Standing Counsel for the Anna University that after this selection is over, next promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor would be taken up, after completing the promotion process, vacancies would be caused
in various Departments especially in the Department of Physics and Chemistry and in order to fill up those vacancies, naturally the Anna University would go ahead with a second notification and selection process, where the very same concession that has been indicated in Clauses 20, 21 and 22 in this Draft Notification would be given for the remaining Teaching Fellows. Since that assurance is given by the learned Standing Counsel for the Anna University, that will take care of the anxiety of the contesting respondents in W.A.Nos.1192 and 1185 of 2020 and they need not have any such apprehension.
(f) Till the entire selection process is over, based on which the main writ appeals would be disposed of by this Court, the Teaching Fellows now engaged by the Anna University shall not be dispensed with. They shall be entitled to get the same salary hitherto being paid to them continuously by the Anna University.
(g)For the sake of convenience, we deem it fit that the Draft Notification presented before this Court can form part of this order. (h)It is made clear that participation in the selection process by subjecting themselves in writing the examination and attending the interview etc., as indicated in the notification by these Teaching Fellows is without prejudice to their rights and contentions that they have raised in the main writ appeals.
(i) It is further made clear that the Teaching Fellows who are continuously being engaged either on their own by the Anna University or by virtue of Court orders and have been working as on today alone would be entitled to get the concession in the written examination and weightage in the interview as indicated above.
(j) Since several days hearing went on in this batch of appeals, where considerable judicial hours have been spent, the learned counsel appearing for both sides have expressed their oral consent before this Court to treat this batch of cases as ‘Part Heard’ in this Bench. However, except recording the submission made by the learned counsel for both sides to treat this batch of cases as ‘Part Heard’, This Bench cannot treat the same as ‘Part Heard’ to be posted before this Bench after the change of roster since it is not in the domain of this Bench. Hence, this Court feels that this can be brought to the notice of the Hon’ble Chief Justice for taking appropriate orders for continuous hearing of this batch of cases by this Bench.
(k) Post these matters in the last week of January 2024.
(R.S.K.,J.) (G.A.M.,J.)
18.10.2023 KST
Note to Registry:
● Issue order copy today (18.10.2023)
● Scan copy of the Draft Notification submitted by Anna University shall form part of the order.

R. SURESH KUMAR, J.
AND G.ARUL MURUGAN, J.
KST
W.A.Nos.2025 of 2019 etc batch
18.10.2023