Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has dismissed a batch of writ petitions filed by professors and associate professors of two state agricultural universities seeking extension of their retirement age from 60 to 65 years.
The petitions were filed by faculty members of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) and PV Narsimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University (PVNRTVU).
The background
The petitioners contended that they were entitled to the benefit of GO No 3, issued by the higher education department on January 28, 2025, under which the state government had raised the superannuation age for teaching faculty drawing UGC scales in universities under the administrative control of that department.
They argued that since they draw UGC pay scales similar to faculty at other state universities, excluding them from the enhanced retirement age amounted to discrimination. They also cited interim orders granted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in similar cases involving agricultural universities.
State’s stand
The state government opposed the petitions, contending that PJTSAU and PVNRTVU fall under the agriculture and animal husbandry departments respectively, not the higher education department, and that GO No 3 was never intended to cover them.
The government further submitted that separate clarificatory letters, issued in November and December 2025, had explicitly excluded the two universities from the scope of the order.
Court’s ruling
Justice K Sarath, dismissing all the petitions, held that fixing the retirement age is a policy matter that falls exclusively within the domain of the executive and cannot be directed by courts.
The judge ruled that drawing UGC pay scales or performing similar duties as faculty in other universities does not automatically entitle employees to identical service conditions, including retirement age, as each institution is governed by its own statutory framework and service rules.
The court relied on a series of Supreme Court judgments holding that superannuation age is a matter of government policy and not subject to judicial extension.
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