Overview
- The top court stayed the Madras High Court’s January 9 order that had directed eviction within four weeks.
- The Tamil Nadu government must constitute a three-member high-powered committee to hear SASTRA’s representation and decide the matter within four weeks.
- The court allowed the university to continue operating without hindrance during the review, while noting that encroachment on public land cannot be encouraged.
- The dispute concerns 31.37 acres in Thanjavur allotted to the Prison Department for an open-air jail that the university has used since 1985.
- SASTRA may submit fresh proposals, including alternate land offers previously rejected in 2022, and has said eviction would disrupt studies for more than 12,000 students.