Today, On 1st September, The Supreme Court today rescheduled the hearing on the West Bengal Vice Chancellors’ appointment matter to September 22, earlier fixed for September 26, to formalise resolved issues and set a date for remaining points in dispute.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court expedited the hearing in the ongoing dispute regarding the appointment of Vice Chancellors at West Bengal universities, moving it to September 22.
Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta requested the earlier date, noting that the case was originally scheduled for September 26. He informed the Court that former Chief Justice U.U. Lalit’s report on the matter was already with the Registry and urged for a prompt hearing to issue necessary directions.
In response to Gupta’s request, the Bench, consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, ordered,
“On joint request, next date of hearing is preponed and same is listed on 22 September.”
The conflict over Vice Chancellors’ appointments has led to an ongoing struggle between the West Bengal Government and the Governor’s office, which acts as Chancellor for state universities.
The Supreme Court has previously directed both parties to seek a resolution and enlisted Justice (Retd.) U.U. Lalit to help explore a framework for settling the issues.
This case carries significant implications for the governance of higher education in West Bengal, with numerous university appointments uncertain due to the ongoing standoff between the Raj Bhavan and the State.
With the hearing now advanced, the Court is anticipated to address Justice Lalit’s report and determine the next steps during the session on September 22.
In January 2025, the Supreme Court had granted additional time to West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose to finalize the vice-chancellor appointment process for the state’s universities.
Earlier, On December 9, 2024, it was reported to the Supreme Court that the West Bengal Governor had appointed full-term vice-chancellors for six universities, with five more appointments expected shortly.
In November 2024, the Apex Court declined to intervene in the vice-chancellor appointments at West Bengal universities, following a report indicating that the committee led by former Justice U.U. Lalit had already submitted its recommendations to the West Bengal Chief Minister.
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In July 2024, the Supreme Court appointed former Chief Justice U.U. Lalit as the chairman of the Search-cum-Selection Committees for the appointment of Vice Chancellors in all state universities in West Bengal, addressing a “rift” between the TMC government and the Governor that had led to “chaos” in these institutions.
The Court also nominated prominent educationists, scientists, jurists, subject experts, and administrators for empanelment in the committee.
Utilizing its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the Court aimed to achieve complete justice in this matter and issued a common order for the constitution of the Search-cum-Selection Committee for all relevant universities.
Earlier, in March 2023, a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court had cancelled the appointment of Vice Chancellors in 29 state-run universities, citing that the state government had appointed or reappointed VCs of 24 state universities and extended the tenure of vice-chancellors without adhering to the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.
Case Title: State of West Bengal v Dr Sanat Kumar Ghosh.
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