The deadlock over appointment of vice-chancellors in state-aided universities in Bengal partially ended on Friday with governor CV Ananda Bose giving nod to the nominees proposed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee for six universities.

 

Raj Bhavan on Friday evening announced the names of VCs of six universities but sources said the names of candidates selected by the chief minister office for 28 other universities have also been sent to  governor  Bose who is also the chancellor of all state-aided universities.

 

The six universities set to get vice-chancellors are Presidency University, Kalyani University, Burdwan University, Sidho Kanjo Birsha University, Rani Rashmoni  Green University and Bankura University.

 

The shortlist from where the chief minister proposed the nominees was prepared by a committee constituted by Supreme Court headed by Justice U U Lalit,  former CJI.

 

The chief minister’s office had recently sent the list of selected nominees to Raj Bhavan for the governor’s nod.

Bengal education minister Bratya Basu conveyed ” whole-hearted” thanks to the chairman of the search committee formed by the Supreme Court for recommending the names.

 

Basu on Friday evening posted on X: ” State-aided universities of West Bengal are getting regular vice-chancellors at long last under the able guidance of Hon’ble Supreme Court. Our whole-hearted thanks to the chairman of the search committee, ex-CJI Justice U U Lalit, who recommended the panel of names. Our sincere gratitude to our Hon’ble chief minister Mamata Banerjee who judiciously prioritized the list. Last but not the least Our heartfelt regards to the Hon’ble chancellor who has recommended the names of VCs.”

 

In the notification issued late on Friday evening, the state higher education department announced the name of Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty as the VC at Presidency University. Rup Kumar Barman has been appointed as the permanent VC at Bankura University, Pabitra Kumar Chakraborti has been selected as the permanent VC of Sidho Kanho Birsha University, Kallol Paul as permanent VC at Kalyani Univetsity. Shankar Nath has been selected as permanent VC at Burdwan University and Amiya Kumar Panda has been named as the permanent VC at Rani Rashmoni Green University.

 

The Mamata Banerjee – led government and governor C V Ananda Bose were locked in a dispute for almost one and half years over the issue of who has the final say over appointments of vice-chancellors in state-aided universities and who is entitled to supervise the selection process.

Absence of permanent VCs for so long led to severe disruption of academic and administrative functioning of the universities.

 

In July the Supreme Court formed a search and selection committee headed by Justice U U Lalit former CJI to recommend names to the chief minister. The apex court had said that the chief minister would send the shortlisted names ” in order of preference” to the governor and he would “appoint the VCs from the names in the same order.