Process for regular appointments needs to be initiated without further delays: SC

Apex Court ‘expresses reluctance’ to allow interim V-Cs to continue indefinitely 

MP, 14 Mar 2024: Expressing reluctance over allowing interim vice-chancellors (V-C) to continue indefinitely, the Supreme Court recently observed that the process for regular appointments needs to be initiated without further delays. 

Attorney General for India R Venkataramani, representing Governor C V Ananda Bose submitted that he would be meeting the Governor, who is also the chancellor of state universities, to discuss the situation.

A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan on Tuesday heard the special leave petition filed by the state challenging the order passed by Calcutta High Court with regards to the interim V-C appointments made by Bose in 13 state universities. 

The senior advocate representing the state submitted as per the law, an interim V-C’s tenure should not exceed six months. Justice Kant observed that the court is reluctant to allow acting V-Cs to continue without a competitive selection process. 

The Bench directed that the hearing be adjourned for two weeks and gave time to the Attorney General to provide an update following the meeting with Bose. During an earlier hearing of the matter, Justice Kant observed: “We were expecting understanding and maturity from both sides since this is a question of educational institutions and the future careers of lakhs of students. 

Bengal has been a hub of quality education right from the time of Shantiniketan. We thought those standards, values and morals would be observed by both sides and they would help us solve this amicably.” 

The Educationists’ Forum had earlier stated that there are no V-Cs in any of the 31 public universities. “Since the six months period is over even for the illegal category of authorised V-Cs, the state government must immediately act under the 2017 Act and 2019 Rules and take immediate action,” they stated. 

The Forum further claimed that regular admission, teaching and research activities have been either stopped or severely affected. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/highest-temp-already-crossed-35-degrees-in-western-dists-555844?infinitescroll=1