No interference, says apex court, VC list on chief minister’s table
Times of India | 12 November 2024
123 Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere in the process of appointing vice-chancellors in Bengal universities after it was informed that the committee headed by Justice U U Lalit already made its recommendations to chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The apex court iterated its earlier orders where it had said that if either the governor or the CM does not agree with any appointment, they can raise their concerns before the SC. The Lalit committee on Sunday wrapped up the final set of interviews of shortlisted candidates. SC will hear the case again on Dec 9.
According to senior counsel who appeared in this case, when the Supreme Court asked, it was informed that for the 36 universities, the recommended panel of names had already been sent by the Justice Lalit committee to the chief minister. Bengal's senior standing counsel in the apex court, Sanjay Basu, said: "We also apprised that at this stage no interference is called for as all safeguards are provided in the Supreme Court order dated July 8, 2024."
"The SC bench was also informed by the counsel that they had an interaction with Justice Lalit this morning in this regard, who apprised them that the process for two universities has to be resumed from scratch as not enough applications were received, and for the remaining universities, the process is complete," Basu said.
After the hearing, the SC observed that the apprehensions of the chancellor "at this stage are misplaced and that if any interference is required, it shall be seen once the process is complete." The bench further observed that nothing in the July 8 order was inadvertent and much thought went into the directions.
The SC-appointed search committee for each university, headed by former CJI Lalit, interviewed shortlisted candidates to appoint permanent VCs in 36 state-run universities. Five hundred candidates were shortlisted from the 2,500-odd applications that the five-member committee received. In the first phase, 33 permanent VCs' names were finalised following the interviews held between Oct 18 and Oct 28. The second phase was conducted from Nov 6 and ended on Sunday.
The repeated mentioning in the SC is because its order clearly spells out that the governor has to appoint VCs in the same sequence the CM makes her recommendations. Else, the SC said, the governor can make its objections known before the SC when it hears the case next.