New Delhi, Sept 1 (UNI) The Supreme Court today advanced the hearing in the ongoing dispute over the appointment of Vice Chancellors in West Bengal universities to September 22, after senior advocate Jaideep Gupta requested that the matter be heard earlier.
The case, which was originally listed for September 26, was mentioned before a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
Gupta submitted the report of former Chief Justice UU Lalit, prepared in connection with the issue, had already been placed with the Registry and urged that the matter be brought forward so that appropriate directions could be issued.
Taking note of the submission, the Bench passed an order stating, “On joint request, next date of hearing is preponed and the same is listed on September 22.”
The dispute over the appointment of Vice Chancellors has witnessed a prolonged tussle between the West Bengal government and the office of the Governor, who is the chancellor of state universities.
The apex court had earlier directed both sides to work towards a resolution and had sought the assistance of Justice (Retd.) UU Lalit to explore a framework for settling the contentious issues.
The court is now expected to take up Justice Lalit’s report and chart out the way forward when it hears the case on September 22.
The case holds wide implications for higher education governance in the state, with several university appointments hanging in balance amid the continuing standoff between the Raj Bhavan and the state government.
The Supreme Court in January 2025 had granted more time to Governor CV Ananda Bose to finalise the process of appointing Vice Chancellors in state universities.
Earlier, on December 9, 2024, the court was informed that the Governor had appointed full-term Vice Chancellors for six universities and was in the process of clearing five more.
In November 2024, the apex court had declined to intervene in the appointment process, noting that the committee headed by Justice Lalit had already submitted its recommendations to the Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Significantly, in July 2024, the Supreme Court appointed Justice UU Lalit as chairman of the search-cum-selection committees for the appointment of vice chancellors across all state universities in West Bengal. This step was taken in view of the escalating rift between the Trinamool Congress government and the Governor, which had led to “chaos” in the functioning of higher education institutions.
The court also nominated eminent educationists, scientists, jurists, subject experts, and administrators to be empanelled in the committees, and invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to do complete justice in the matter.
The roots of the dispute go back to March 2023, when a division bench of the Calcutta High Court quashed the appointment of vice chancellors in 29 state-run universities.
The court noted that the state government had appointed or reappointed vice chancellors in 24 universities and had also extended the tenure of several others without adhering to the prescribed norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Since then, the controversy has continued, with repeated judicial interventions to restore order and legality in the appointment process.
With the hearing now advanced to September 22, the Supreme Court is poised to review Justice Lalit’s report and provide further directions aimed at resolving the impasse between the Governor and the state government, which has had a direct impact on the governance of higher education in West Bengal.
