Governor Bose Invites Mamata For Talks On VCs' Appointment After Supreme Court's Directive

Governor Bose invites CM Mamata Banerjee to discuss VC appointments following the Supreme Court's directive.

West Bengal's Governor CV Ananda Bose (L), Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (R).

Kolkata: West Bengal's Governor CV Ananda Bose has penned a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, extending an invitation to Raj Bhavan for a discussion on the selection of vice-chancellors for various state universities, PTI quoted a senior official as saying.

Bose's letter to Banerjee on Thursday follows the Supreme Court's stay on the emoluments of recently appointed interim vice-chancellors in West Bengal's state-run universities. The court has suggested that the governor and the chief minister meet "over a cup of coffee" to address the impasse concerning VC appointments.

"The governor has written a letter inviting the CM to Raj Bhavan for a meeting on the appointments of VCs at different universities in the state," the official told PTI.

The governor's office is "expecting a reply from the CMO soon", he said.

The top court had on October 6 said there is a need for reconciliation between the governor and the chief minister "in the interest of educational institutions and the future careers of lakhs of students".

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta has ruled that the stay on emoluments for interim Vice-Chancellors, who were appointed in August, will persist throughout the state government's petition against the Governor's actions in appointing these interim VCs. The Governor serves as the ex-officio chancellor of state universities.

The Supreme Court's decision comes after the West Bengal government appealed against the Calcutta High Court's June 28 ruling, which found no irregularities in the Governor's orders appointing interim VCs for 11 state-run universities.

On September 27, the Supreme Court requested a list of notable individuals, including scientists, technocrats, administrators, educators, and legal experts, to form a search committee responsible for shortlisting and appointing VCs in state-run universities.

Acknowledging the ongoing dispute between the state government and the Governor's office on this matter, the Supreme Court had previously decided on September 15 to establish a search committee for selecting VCs.

Previously, the high court had upheld the authority of the chancellor to appoint VCs, as outlined in relevant statutes.

Tensions escalated between Raj Bhavan and the West Bengal government when the Governor began appointing interim VCs for 11 state universities following the expiration of the full-time VCs' terms in April-May of the current year. The state government accused Bose of circumventing its authority in making these decisions, while Raj Bhavan argued that every step was taken in accordance with the law to ensure the universities' uninterrupted functioning and in the students' best interests.