Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Monday reportedly cleared the way for the appointment of vice-chancellors (V-C) in eight state universities in Bengal, while keeping the remaining disputed cases for further consideration in chambers.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the long-standing dispute between the Bengal government and Governor CV Ananda Bose over the process of appointing vice-chancellors to state-run universities. The Governor, who functions as the Chancellor of these institutions and the state government have been at odds over control of the appointment process for months.
During the hearing, the state government’s counsel informed the court that a broad consensus had been reached in several universities, while the Governor’s side confirmed that it had no objection to the names agreed upon. Taking note of these submissions, Justice Surya Kant reportedly observed that appointments where both sides had reached an agreement could move ahead without further delay.
The Bench also cautioned against discussing individual candidates in open court, emphasising that the focus should remain on institutional consensus rather than personal evaluation. The court further observed that wherever the Chancellor had accepted the recommendations of the search committee, the state should also concur to ensure the smooth functioning of the universities.
Recording its directions, the Bench stated that there was no obstacle to proceeding with the appointment of vice-chancellors in eight specified universities. It added that the matter concerning the remaining institutions would be discussed later in chambers to resolve outstanding objections.
The issue has been a source of persistent friction between the Raj Bhavan and the state government, leading to prolonged vacancies at the top of several higher education institutions across Bengal.
According to reports, the eight universities where appointments can now proceed include University of Calcutta, Biswa Bangla University, Sadhu Ramchand Murmu University, Gour Banga University, Kazi Nazrul University, Jadavpur University, Raiganj University and North Bengal University.