The Governor of Tamil Nadu, R N Ravi, added the nominee of the UGC chairman and reconstituted the search-cum-selection committee for the appointment of vice-chancellors in three state universities. This action was taken because the state government did not reconstitute the committee as per UGC regulations, despite repeated reminders. The Supreme Court had previously stated that any appointment made on a search committee that is not constituted according to UGC regulations would be void. The state government challenged the constitution of these committees in the Supreme Court, arguing that they were contrary to the statutes of the universities.