Calcutta HC sets aside VBU order forcing suspended profs to report to Registrar everyday, calls it illegal

The Calcutta High Court on October 5 set aside the Visva-Bharati University order asking nine suspended professors to report to the Assistant Register every day, calling it illegal.

The August 25 order by the university had asked nine suspended staffers — Sudipta Bhattacharya, Pijush Kanti Ghosh, Arani Chakraborty, Gopal Kumar, Rajesh K V, Y Hemant Kumar, Sutapa Mukhopadhyay, Soumyendra Sen and Barid Baran Ghoshal — to report to the Assistant Registrar on every instructional day. If they had to go outstation, they had to take prior permission from the varsity. While they were not required to actually sign a register, they had to report to the office.

Pic: Edexlive

Justice Amrita Sinha quashed the order after five of the nine professors challenged it calling it "inhuman". But this does not revoke their suspension. "Many of the teachers have filed separate court cases challenging suspension or charge sheet," one of the suspended professors told Edexlive. "We did not appeal against suspension (collectively) as merit differs (in each case)," he added.

The teachers were suspended for various reasons. Out of all of them, Bhattacharya probably received the most individual support from intelligentsia across the world. He was suspended on January 7, 2021, for claiming that there were irregularities in the appointment of the principal of Patha Bhavan. All nine professors were gradually suspended by the varsity under VC Bidyut Chakrabarty over the rest of the year and the varsity has earned criticism from across the globe.