Kolkata, April 8 -- Reacting to the ongoing impasse over the appointment of vice-chancellors (V-C) in state-aided universities, Jadavpur University professor Omprakash Mishra said that "all manner of delays have now been defeated" by the clarity of the Supreme Court's (SC) recent order.

The apex court, while hearing the matter on April 2, observed that 19 out of 36 recommended candidates for V-C posts had already been appointed. The court said: "We expect that a final decision with respect to other recommendees shall be taken within two weeks, failing which this Court will take final call in respect of the left out recommendees with the assistance of the learned counsel for the parties."

Mishra, an International Relations professor, argued that any difference of opinion between the Chief Minister and the Chancellor regarding appointments should have been officially submitted to the court. "Should there be any difference, it ought to have been placed before the Supreme Court through the appropriate file," he said.

Following the hearing, the Raj Bhavan posted a statement on X stating that Governor CV Ananda Bose, also the Chancellor of all state-aided universities, had conveyed reservations in a sealed cover regarding 17 candidates recommended by the Chief Minister.

Raj Bhavan said due diligence was carried out before raising reservation, including background checks and reports from credible sources. It added that the sealed cover could not be submitted on April 2 as the matter was taken up out of turn and the Attorney General of India was not present in court.

The statement also clarified that the Supreme Court had not issued an ultimatum or curtailed the Chancellor's discretion. "Far from that, the apex court has given discretion to the Chancellor to take appropriate decisions as he deemed fit," it said.

However, Mishra questioned the delay in raising objections. "So far, we know no formal objections were submitted. Objections aren't meant to drag on for months. Why were they not submitted two and a half months ago? Also, the hearing date was already known, so why couldn't the Advocate-on-Record hand over the sealed cover during the hearing?" Mishra asked.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.