The order was issued by a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan, with a further hearing scheduled in four weeks.
NEW DELHI: Today (8th July): The Supreme Court appointed former Chief Justice of India, Uday Umesh Lalit, to lead a committee overseeing the appointments of Vice-Chancellors for public universities in West Bengal.
The order was issued by a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan, with a further hearing scheduled in four weeks.
The dispute between the West Bengal government and Governor CV Ananda Bose centers on who has the final authority over such appointments. To address this, the _Supreme Court established a committee chaired by Justice Lalit, including members from both parties’ lists and additional experts from various educational fields.
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Justice Lalit will create sub-committees for different universities based on their specialties, with the State covering the expenses. The court directed:
The Chief Minister, not the concerned minister, will prioritize and forward names to the Chancellor. If the CM disapproves any name, reasons and supporting material must be provided.
The Chancellor will appoint the VC based on the CM’s recommendations and must provide reasons and materials for any rejections.
All objections from the Chief Minister and Chancellor will be presented directly to the Supreme Court.
Justice Lalit will receive Rs 3 lakh per effective committee meeting, with other members compensated according to governing statutes. If no allowances and perks are provided, the State must inform the Supreme Court on the next date.
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In December, the Supreme Court urged Attorney General R Venkataramani to mediate the appointment of Vice-Chancellors in West Bengal’s State-run universities, amidst the dispute between the Mamata Banerjee-led government and Governor Bose.
This request came during a review of an appeal by the West Bengal Government challenging a Calcutta High Court order that found no wrongdoing in the Governor’s appointment of interim Vice-Chancellors in 11 universities.
