Cal HC dismisses writ petition challenging appointment of interim Vice-Chancellors

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by a professor challenging the Chancellor CV Ananda Bose’s appointment of interim Vice-Chancellors for eleven state universities.

The matter was being heard by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Ajay Kumar Gupta. The Division Bench also directed that the proceedings of the state Special Commissioner to Registrar of Kalyani University and other universities in connection with suspending their pay and allowances for the position of V-Cs by the state Higher Education department, cannot be enforced and is “wholly devoid of jurisdiction.”

“It is not for the Special Commissioner to state that the appointment of Vice Chancellor cannot be accepted as a valid appointment,” the Court observed.

The writ petition was filed by a professor, who has 41 years of teaching experience. The professor contended that the appointed interim VC’s did not have the right to hold office and sought for the court to quash their appointments. It has been reported that the professor also stated that the Governor, who is the Chancellor of State Universities, took the decision without consulting with the state Higher Education department.

Governor Bose had appointed temporary V-Cs in eleven state universities — Kalyani University, Burdwan University, The Sanskrit College and University, Sidho Kanho Birsha University, Kazi Nazrul University, Dakshin Dinajpur University among others.