The Supreme Court today asked the West Bengal government, the state Governor in his role as the Chancellor of state universities, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to send three to five names of noted personalities by 25 September from which a search committee would be constituted which would appoint vice chancellors (VCs) of state universities in West Bengal.
The ruling of the apex court today came amidst the war of attrition between the state government and Governor CV Ananda Bose, who is also the Chancellor of state universities, on the appointments of Vice Chancellors in the state universities, which showed no signs of letting up.
The top court, gave its ruling on a petition filed by the West Bengal government, which had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Governor’s authority in appointing officiating Vice Chancellors in universities without consulting with the state government.
The court, however, made it clear in an observation that it would in no way meddle in the sparring that was hampering the academic atmosphere in the universities and the well being of the students.
The counsel of the chancellor argued that the state government was publicly humiliating the Governor almost every day, to which the Supreme Court obsserved that it “would not wade into the persisting difference of opinion between the two parties. Our main goal is to save the future of the students.”
The ugly exchange of barbs and trading of charges between the Governor and the state government had come to such a pass that the chief minister had issued a threat to withhold funding to the unversities where officiating Vice Chancellors had been appointed by the Governor.
It further intensified when the state education minister Bratya Basu called the Governor an executioner and Vampire as well. To which the Governor warned of wait for more action at midnight.