Supreme Court Stays High Court's Eviction Order Against Tamil Nadu's SASTRA University

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vijay Bishnoi asked the state government, represented by Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, to set up a high-powered committee of three senior state officials to consider SASTRA's representation and accord the institution a hearing before deciding the issue in four weeks.

Asking the state to act "sensitively" while dealing with public educational institutions, the bench said till the time the representation is decided by the panel, the functioning of the institution should not be hindered.

The bench, however, noted that the encroachment on public land cannot be encouraged.

The present case involved a public educational institution performing a welfare function and not a commercial enterprise, it said, adding that a welfare state must take into account the role played by such institutions in furthering public interest.

"The land has been utilised for decades by a university performing a public function. States must be sensitive in dealing with such institutions," the bench said, granting interim relief to SASTRA.

The interim order came on an appeal filed by SASTRA challenging the Madras High Court judgment of January 9.

The High Court had upheld the state's decision rejecting the university's request for assignment or exchange of government land and directed implementation of an eviction notice within four weeks.

At the heart of the dispute is 31.37 acres of government land that is interspersed with and contiguous to SASTRA's own patta land.

According to the university, the disputed land forms an inseparable part of its campus that houses academic buildings, hostels, utility infrastructure, and has access roads.

In its plea before the Apex Court, SASTRA contended that enforcement of the High Court's eviction order would severely disrupt the functioning of the university and affect more than 12,000 students enrolled across disciplines, including law, engineering, sciences, management and liberal arts.

The Apex Court had in 2018 had dismissed a plea of SASTRA.

The bench had, however, granted liberty to the university to submit representations to the state authorities seeking regularisation or alternative relief.

Pursuant to the order, SASTRA submitted several representations between 2018 and 2021, including proposals for the exchange of alternative land parcels.

Although the Tamil Nadu government constituted a committee to examine the issue, the representations were ultimately rejected in 2022.

The rejection was followed by an eviction notice on February 25, 2022, prompting SASTRA to approach the Madras High Court.

While those writ petitions were pending, the high court passed interim orders on August 8, 2022 and September 6, 2022, recording that classrooms and hostels were functioning on the disputed land.

The court placed the land under its own control pending final adjudication, restrained further construction, and clarified that students' education would not be disrupted, though continued use was made subject to the outcome of the case.

On January 9, 2026, the High Court dismissed the writ petitions, upheld the state's rejection of SASTRA's representations and directed eviction.

The university has stated that government officials came to the campus the very next day to assert control over portions of the disputed land.

The SASTRA is a prominent private deemed university in Thanjavur's Thirumalaisamudram.

With PTI Inputs