The Karnataka High Court, in the case of M/S Alliance University vs Sri Sudhir, has noted that a counterclaim can only be filed against the plaintiff and a presenter of the suit cannot be treated as the plaintiff. In the present case, the issue was regarding the chancellorship of Alliance University. The Alliance University Act provided for appointment of the Chancellor ‘for life’. However, the Chancellor was removed by the sponsoring committee and the court was faced with the legality of such a removal. The court noted that such a provision is subject to discretion and following the provision in its entirety would lead to absurd results in cases where the Chancellor has been rendered insolvent, or mentally or physically incapacitated but continues to serve as the Chancellor of the university. Another issue raised in the appeal was whether or not the counter-claim filed against the Chancellor, who was acting on behalf of the university, valid. It was noted by the court that the...