The order came on Thursday, just a day before a selection panel was due to nominate a candidate for the university council's approval.

The term of the incumbent president, Dr Adul Viriyavejkul, ends in June.

The court's order was based on a petition filed by a group of the university's lecturers on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Dr Pavich Thongroj - who has served twice as the university's president - withdrew from the selection process. He retired from the post of secretary-general of the Office of Higher Education Commission last year.

The process to select a qualified person for the post of Mahasarakham University's president began on January 24 and was expected to end yesterday.

One of the lecturers who petitioned the Administrative Court, Asst Prof Suporn Lim-aree said the selection process was against the Mahasarakham University Act because one of the selection panel's members, Mongkol Muangkeaw, was not qualified to sit in the panel.

Suporn said Mongkol, the dean of the university's Faculty of Accountancy and Management, was not qualified because he was not a dean by definition of Section 29 of the Mahasarakham University Act.

The Faculty of Accountancy and Management was not considered a government unit, he said The Khon Kaen Administrative Court said on Thursday that since there were "doubts" about Mongkol's qualifications, it would be better to have the selection process suspended pending hearings into the case.

A source said that Pavich's withdrawal left only two potential candidates for the post of university president.

One is Adul, the incumbent president, and the other Prof Ruan Samana, former dean of the university's Faculty of Science and currently director of its Palaeontological Research and Education Centre.

Suporn said the university's current administration had breached laws on many occasions and its members had "tried to stay in power".