A ruling by the Madras High Court sets a precedent for resolving disputes over delayed staff appointments at Church-run educational institutions across India
Newsroom (23/07/2025, Gaudium Press ) A recent ruling by the Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu is poised to set a precedent for resolving disputes over delayed staff appointments at Church-run educational institutions across India, according to Church officials.
Father Maria Charles, secretary of the Indian Catholic bishops’ Office for Education, described the court’s decision as “a blessing” for Christian-run, government-aided institutions grappling with staffing challenges nationwide. Speaking to UCA News on July 23, Charles emphasized that the verdict concerning Jesuit-run Loyola College in Chennai serves as a “guiding verdict safeguarding the rights of religious minorities.”
On July 14, the court directed the Tamil Nadu state government to approve 19 appointments—18 assistant professors and one librarian—made by Loyola College, an autonomous institution for higher education in Chennai. The college has been awaiting state approval for these appointments since 2019, a prerequisite for staff to receive government-funded salaries and benefits.
The state’s Higher Education Department had withheld approval, citing reasons such as the college’s alleged failure to obtain prior financial clearance and not advertising vacancies in newspapers. Loyola College challenged the decision, arguing that the state’s actions violated constitutional protections granting religious minorities the right to establish and manage educational institutions, including the authority to appoint staff.
In its July 22 order, the Madras High Court referenced Supreme Court and other high court rulings that limit government interference in the management of minority-run, government-aided institutions. The judge affirmed that Loyola College “possesses the inherent right to fill sanctioned posts” and clarified that the state’s regulatory role does not extend to “dictating the intricacies of recruitment processes or the composition of selection committees.”
Jesuit Father A. Santhanam, a Tamil Nadu-based lawyer, hailed the ruling as a reinforcement of “the crucial autonomy of minority educational institutions in matters concerning their staff appointments.” Speaking to UCA News on July 23, he noted that the judgment exposed the state’s objections as “not only irrelevant but also directly contradicting established legal precedents.”
The ruling highlights a broader issue of bureaucratic overreach into the autonomy of minority institutions, Santhanam added. “Critically, the order accentuates a growing judicial recognition of bureaucratic overreach into educational autonomy, especially in the context of minority institutions,” he said.
Father Charles pointed out that government officials frequently create obstacles to approving staff appointments, placing undue burdens on Christian-managed institutions. “This kind of unwanted delay in appointments of qualified staff not only deprives students of quality education but also imposes additional burden on school managements,” he said.
The Catholic Church in India operates an extensive network of over 50,000 educational institutions, including approximately 400 university colleges, six universities, and six medical schools. Christians account for just 2.3 percent of India’s population of over 1.4 billion, with Hindus comprising more than 80 percent.
The Madras High Court’s decision is seen as a significant step toward protecting the constitutional rights of minority institutions, potentially easing staffing challenges for Church-run schools and colleges nationwide.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News
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