New Delhi: In a significant breakthrough for the stalled higher education administration in West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Thursday recorded a consensus between the State Government and the Governor regarding the appointment of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) for 8 state-run universities.
The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, directed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to forward the agreed-upon names to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose (the Chancellor) for immediate notification. This development marks a major thaw in the prolonged standoff between the state executive and the Raj Bhavan.
The Court was informed by Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta (for the State) and Attorney General R. Venkataramani (for the Governor) that both parties had agreed on candidates for the following institutions:
- Sanskrit College & University
- Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University
- Harichand Guruchand University
- Raiganj University
- Diamond Harbour Women's University
- Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University
- Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalay University
- West Bengal State University
While progress was made on 8 names, a disagreement persisted over candidates for three major universities: North Bengal University, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT), and Netaji Subhash Open University.