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Universities not mandated to take orders from state govt: Raj Bhavan; TMC reacts
The development comes two days after WB governor CV Ananda Bose drew the ire of the TMC government by deciding to be acting VC of 14 universities where the post is currently lying vacant
Officials of state-run universities are not mandated to take direct orders from the West Bengal state government or execute it without the consent of the vice chancellor, a circular issued by the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata stated.
The development comes two days after West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose, who is chancellor of all 31 state-run universities, drew the ire of the chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government by deciding to be acting vice-chancellor (VC) of 14 universities where the post is currently lying vacant.
“The officers of the university are to execute the orders issued by the VC and they are not mandated to take orders directly from the government or to execute them without the knowledge and consent of the VC. The registrars and other officers have no independent authority to function circumventing the VC,” the circular issued on September 2 said.
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Bengal is witnessing an impasse in the higher education department since last year when the tenure of VCs at 29 universities ended.
Their services were extended till May 31 this year and the government started the process of forming search committees to select new incumbents.
“Autonomy of educational institutions, particularly universities, are sacrosanct and have to be honoured by everyone. This is not an instruction issued by the chancellor. This is based on the Constitution the UGC Act and the orders of the Supreme Court,” Bose told reporters in Kolkata on Sunday.
Reacting to the developments, TMC MP Santanu Sen said the governor is trying to run a parallel administration.
“The governor is trying to run a parallel administration. He is following the footsteps of his predecessor and trying to satisfy the BJP. That’s the reason he is taking some laughable decisions. He is challenging the education department of an elected government,” Sen said.
West Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya called out the ruling state government for creating confusion.
“The governor who is the chancellor has cleared his stand saying that the VC will autonomously take decisions. The root of the problem lies elsewhere. The TMC government knows very well that if UGC guidelines are followed while appointing a VC, the party won’t be able to appoint its own puppets. That’s why they are creating confusion,” Samik Bhattacharya told media persons.
