Bringing the Centre’s extended deliberations on Panjab University’s retirement age issue to a halt, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has declined further adjournment and directed the Union Government to place its stand on record through a personal affidavit of the Secretary, Department of Higher Education.Taking up the matter, a Division Bench of the High Court further directed that “a responsible officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary shall remain personally present before the Court on the next date along with the relevant record”.The directions came just over two months after the Centre informed the court about the constitution of a three-member panel to examine the proposal to raise the retirement age of Panjab University teachers from 60 to 65 years.As the matter came up for resumed hearing, Additional Solicitor-General of India Satya Pal Jain placed on record a communication dated April 27 stating that the committee — constituted to look into the pending issues — had discussed the matter on March 30 and required six weeks’ further time to take an appropriate decision.The Division Bench of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, however, refused to grant more time, noting that the case had already been adjourned repeatedly at the Centre’s request. “This matter has been repeatedly adjourned in order to accommodate the Central Government so that an appropriate decision on the legal issues raised and pressed is taken by the competent authority,” the Bench observed.Referring to earlier warnings, the court added: “The order sheet indicates that the matter has been adjourned repeatedly with observations made that no further request for extension of time would be entertained. In that view of the matter, we are not inclined to accept the request for adjournment of the matter.”The Bench has now listed the case for hearing on July 29, while directing that the Centre’s stand be formally placed on record. “The Secretary of the concerned Department of the Union of India would ensure that appropriate stand of the Central Government is placed on record by way of his personal affidavit,” the court ordered.The Bench was hearing an appeal filed in 2016, along with connected cases. It was earlier informed that the Centre had set up a three-member panel to examine the university’s proposal to raise the retirement age of its teachers from 60 to 65 years.Jain had then informed the court that an order to this effect was issued by the Union Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education, on February 25. The committee would be headed by UGC’s former chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar. The other members are Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh and Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig.The court, during the course of hearing, was told by one of the counsels, R. Kartikeya, that Panjab University Senate had earlier resolved to amend the age from 60 to 65.