The high court has told the West Bengal government to “amend” its acts to ensure that appointments to the post of vice-chancellor in state-aided universities are made in conformity with UGC Regulations 2018.
According to the regulations, a person can be VC only if he or she has 10 years’ experience as professor in a university or 10 years experience working in a reputable research organisation and/or an administrative organisation.
The amendments must also ensure that the search committees for the appointment of VCs have a UGC nominee.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava issued the order on Tuesday while setting aside the re-appointment of 24 VCs on the ground that the re-appointments did not have the approval of then governor and chancellor Jagdeep Dhankar.
The bench, while striking down the re-appointments, noted that some of the VCs did not have the minimum qualification of 10 years’ experience as professor in a university or 10 years’ experience working in a reputable research and/or administrative organisation with proof of having demonstrated academic leadership.
“Therefore, their appointment is contrary to Regulation 7.3.i of UGC Regulations 2018,” the bench said.
The court also noted that the search committees formed for the appointment of the VCs did not have any nominee of the UGC, as required by the UGC Regulation 2018.
“In view of the above analysis... the state is directed to consider making suitable amendments in the concerned Acts to bring them in conformity with the UGC Regulations, 2018, preferably within a period of six months”, says the text of the judgment.
After the Trinamul Congress came to power in May 2011, the state government introduced acts mandating the formation of a search committee for the appointment of a VC with a nominee each of the chancellor, UGC and the university concerned.
The government also enacted a law mandating that a VC would be a distinguished academic with at least 10 years’ experience in the university system, “of which five years shall be as professor or 10 years of experience in a reputable academic/administrative organisation”.
“This was done to try and minimise political interference in the appointment of VC, which was typical of the Left Front rule,” said a VC.
But over the years the government brought amendments replacing the UGC nominee with the state government’s nominee and not following the clause on 10 years’ experience in the university. system.