The Educationists’ Forum, consisting of former vice-chancellors of state universities and teachers held a media meet within the Jadavpur University campus on Tuesday stating that the Governor was deliberately delaying the formation of the search committee for finding VCs and indulging in illegal practices.

The forum has shown how the Governor of the state, CV Ananda Bose, who is also the chancellor of the universities, is continuing to exercise his illegal actions in respect of the universities by authorizing/ removing/replacing his appointees in various universities even when the entire matter is now pending before the Supreme Court.

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Since the Supreme Court had desired the inclusion of the UGC nominee in the search/selection committees, all the vice-chancellors selected under the prevalent law were requested to resign by the Chancellor and the government in January 2023.

They said that in 2022, West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed amendments to the acts of the various universities making the chief minis- ter of the state as the chancellor of universities. The Bill has been passed more than a year back but the Governor has neither signed the Bill nor returned it “as soon as pos- sible” as provided for in Arti- cle 200 of the Constitution of India.
The release by the forum argues that as of today, the subject of the institution of search- cum- selection committee(s) for selection of VC(s) has to be dealt with within the four corners of existing law(s) of the land. The only existing law of the land in this regard in WB is the Ordinance enact- ed and promulgated in this regard with prior assent of the Governor. The Ordinance is alive. An Ordinance which has been introduced as per the provision of Article 213 of the Constitution and approved by the Legislative Assembly remains valid unless with- drawn or replaced.

“Where is it written that an Ordinance ‘s longevity is 6 months? The Ordinance was passed in May 2023. It is still valid because under Article 213, it has to be placed in the Assembly. It has not only been placed it has been passed also. So, it should be the law but the assent of the Governor to the Bill has not yet come. We urge the Supreme Court to direct the Governor to give his assent to the Bill,” said Om Prakash Misra, HoD IR depart- ment, JU and former VC of North Bengal University.