Court upheld transfer of university faculty under administrative grounds, affirming limited scope for judicial review in administrative transfer matters.

ORDER:

PULLA KARTHIK, J.

Questioning the impugned Transfer Memo No.1933/Ser.T/A1/2025, dated 24.03.2025, insofar as it relates to the petitioner and the consequential Memo No.673/Estt.A1/2025, dated 24.03.2025 issued by respondent No.3, the present Writ Petition is filed.

2) Heard Sri B.S. Prasad, learned senior counsel, representing M/s. Pearl Law Associates, learned counsel for the petitioner, and learned Additional Advocate General appearing for respondent Nos.1 to 3 and Sri Pushkar Jaiswal, learned counsel, appearing for respondent No.4.

3) Learned senior counsel has submitted that while the petitioner is working as Senior Professor (CAS) & University Head, Dept. of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, in respondent No.3 University viz., Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Memo No.1933/Ser.T/ A1/2025, dated 24.03.2025 has been issued by respondent No.3 transferring several Professors and Teaching Faculty including the petitioner herein as Associate Dean, Agriculture College, Polasa, Jagtial. Learned senior counsel has contended that earlier the petitioner has worked for 3 years and 9 months as a Vice- Chancellor of Sri Konda Laxman Telangana Horticultural University, Mulugu, Siddipet District and she has been working in the present place since 22.10.2024 i.e. just within a span of 5 months again she has been transferred to Polasa, Jagtial, contrary to the guidelines for Transfer Policy of various Departments of the State Government vide G.O.Rt.No.118, Higher Education (CE) Department dated 15.07.2024 and also contrary to the Transfer Policy of the Parent University [Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University of United Andhra Pradesh (ANGRAU)] and without considering the age and health grounds urged by the petitioner. It is further contended that if the petitioner assumes the charge as Associate Dean, she will not be eligible to act as University Head of the Horticulture Department and thereby a junior to the petitioner will become the University Head and the said material fact was ignored by the respondent authorities.

4) Learned senior counsel has further contended that initially Circular Memo dated 17.01.2025 was issued by respondent No.3 requiring the eligible faculty to give their Expression of Interest to serve as Associate Dean/Associate Director of Research on or before 24.01.2025 stipulating that the tenure of such Associate Dean/Associate Director of Research shall be for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge or till retirement whichever is earlier and may be renewed for another term of two years based on the performance. But, without any reason the subsequent Circular Memo dated 18.03.2025 was issued changing the criteria that if adequate number of senior faculty have not opted, the senior mot faculty will be considered, with a malafied intention to transfer of the petitioner and other similarly situated persons who are just above than one year of service and below two years of service of superannuation. Further the transfer order dated 24.03.2025 was served on the petitioner through whatsapp while she was attending Zonal Research and Extension Advisory Committee meeting at Krishi Vignyana Kendra, Wyra, Khammam District and in the whatsapp message it was further stated that respondent No.4 was posted and she reported in the place of petitioner on 24.03.2025 and consequently the petitioner was deemed to have been relieved on 24.03.2025 AN and the petitioner was directed to handover the complete charge of the post held by her to the next immediate senior faculty in the