UGC regulations traceable entry 66 list 1 possess overriding statutory force state enactments higher education governance

Regulations framed by the University Grants Commission under Section 26 of the UGC Act, 1956 derive statutory power from Entry 66 of List I of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, which exclusively vests Parliament with authority over coordination and determination of standards in higher education institutions. Being subordinate legislation laid before Parliament, mandatory UGC Regulations form an integral component of the parent Central enactment and override conflicting state or Union Territory statutory provisions governing university administration. Any appointment of a Vice-Chancellor made in derogation or violation of prescribed UGC selection norms constitutes a breach of statutory provisions, rendering the appointment legally unsustainable and vulnerable to judicial invalidation through a writ of quo warranto. (Dr. S. Mohan v. The Secretary to the Chancellor, Puducherry Technological University, Puducherry & Ors. | 2026 INSC 100)