Kolkata: President Droupadi Murmu has withheld assent to two key amendment bills related to state-aided universities that would have appointed Bengal Chief Minister as the Chancellor of state universities, replacing the Governor.
The President’s decision implies that the proposal to remove the Governor and appoint the Chief Minister as Chancellor of state universities has been effectively rejected.
According to a post on the X handle of Lok Bhavan (erstwhile Raj Bhavan), the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, proposing that the Chief Minister would replace the Governor as Chancellor of state-run universities.
Aliah University (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed to appoint the Chief Minister as Chancellor of Aliah University in place of the Governor. West Bengal University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was also for the same matter. It has been reiterated in the post that the principal Acts of state-aided universities clearly state: “The Governor shall be the Chancellor of the university by virtue of his office.”
The state government’s move was aimed at curtailing the Governor’s powers as Chancellor. In the Assembly, it had argued that as the head of an elected government, the Chief Minister should have greater authority over the administration of universities. The state also maintained that it would accelerate reforms in higher education.