A professor’s request to return home remained unresolved for over five years after his February 2021 transfer from Hyderabad to Shillong, roughly 2,000 km away by road. Battling diabetes, hypertension and the after-effects of two spine surgeries, the single parent sought a return citing health and family responsibilities. After the university rejected his plea, the Telangana High Court ordered a fresh review, directing it to pass a reasoned decision within 90 working days.

Justice E V Venugopal was hearing a petition filed by Dr K Venkat Reddy, a professor at the English and Foreign Languages University ( EFLU ), challenging his transfer from its Hyderabad campus to the regional campus in Shillong and the subsequent rejection of his request to return.

“The absence of specific administrative reasons in the rejection proceedings raises a question as to whether the petitioner’s representation was meaningfully reconsidered.…