West Bengal govt granted time until March 22 to file affidavit in case against reappointment of Calcutta varsity VC

The Government of West Bengal has been directed by the Calcutta High Court to file an affidavit to state its position on a PIL that was filed to challenge the reappointment of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta. This direction was given on Monday, February 14.

The petitioner, Advocate Anindya Sundar Das, who also happens to be an alumnus of the Calcutta University, has claimed that Vice-Chancellor Sonali Chakravarty Banerjee was reappointed to the post in August 2021 by the Principal Secretary of the state's Higher Education Department, which is a contravention of the rules.

Lawyer Billwadal Bhattacharya, representing the petitioner, submitted before the court that the Governor of West Bengal, as the ex-officio chancellor, has the authority of appointing the Vice-Chancellor of the state-run university.

READ ALSO : Schools in West Bengal reopen after being shut for more than a month due to COVID

Opposing the petition, state's Advocate General SN Mookherjee prayed for time to file an affidavit in the matter. The Bench, comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj, has given the state government time until March 22 to file an affidavit stating its position on the matter. The hearing will resume on that date. 

Bhattacharya stated that the Chancellor, during consultations over appointing a new Vice-Chancellor, had given the incumbent an extension of three months in 2021. He claimed that the state government's Higher Education Department, however, gave Banerjee reappointment for a term of four years, in contravention of rules. She had been appointed Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious university in 2017 by the then Chancellor for a term of four years.