According to a senior officer in the academic section of the UoP, of these 49 colleges, at least half are facing crunch of students. “That can be the reason that they don’t take cognisance of repeated reminders. The others may be ignorant about the consequences,” he said.

Meanwhile, another 41 colleges in the state have moved the SC against the HC order.

Already, the SC has received petitions from around 60 educational institutes from Mumbai, Nanded, Hingoli and Latur. The petitioners argue that the time allotted to fill the vacant posts of principals was short.

Rules also come in the way
The colleges are unable to find proper candidates for the principal’s post. The state government resolution on the pension rules is another factor that is keeping away eligible candidates. It says the teacher, appointed to any senior post through selection process, would lose the previous pension benefits.

That means, only those teachers who move to principal’s post by promotion can get pension.

Due to this rule, many eligible candidates in the age group of 45-50 are shying away from the selection process.

Though an UGC guideline says principals can continue on job till the age of 65, the UoP has not amended its statutes along these lines. So, the colleges affiliated to it cannot do so.