Appointment of interim V-Cs: State accuses Guv of ‘disobeying Supreme Court order’
Kolkata: Governor C V Ananda Bose, in his capacity as Chancellor of state universities, on Sunday announced appointment of interim vice-chancellors of several universities in the state.
State Education minister Bratya Basu accused Bose of disobeying the Supreme Court (SC) by his act of appointing V-Cs and said that the matter will be brought to the notice of the apex court. “It is his decision whether he will obey the Supreme Court. This matter is under the consideration of the apex court. We will bring this to the notice of the SC and question if the Governor’s act was legal. The Governor is also flouting the rules of UGC in appointing vice-chancellors,” said Basu.
A statement issued by Raj Bhavan informed that Prof Achintya Saha was appointed as interim V-C of Murshidabad University, Prof BB Parida was appointed to Mahatma Gandhi University at Mahisadal, East Midnapore, Prof Nikhil Chandra Ray to Cooch Behar Panchanan University, Prof Rathin Bandyopadhyay to Alipurduar University, Prof Dilip Maity to Biswa Bangla Biswabidyalay and CM
Raveendran (IPS retd) to North Bengal University.
Raveendran is an IPS officer of 1977 batch and had served as DGP of Sikkim for five years.
The Educationists’ Forum criticised Bose alleging that he has been continuing to defy the legal framework for appointment of V-Cs and thereby delaying the operation of Bills passed in the Bengal Legislative Assembly.
Professor Om Prakash Mishra of the Forum said: “In a direct defiance of the power and authority of the Supreme Court, the chancellor continues his illegalities in the sphere of higher education.
Today, he has again nominated persons of his choice even when the entire subject matter of this type of nomination is under challenge in a SLP filed by the state of West Bengal in the Supreme Court. This is a direct affront to the legal processes, the Acts of the concerned universities and constitutes a direct challenge to the authority of the Supreme Court.”
