State attempting to throttle functioning of varsities: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose

Kolkata: A day after West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu accused Governor CV Ananda Bose of taking 'illogical and inconsistent steps' with regard to functioning of state universities, Bose on Wednesday night released a statement asserting that he is working to safeguard the autonomy of these institutions against government interference.

Bose cited previous court rulings, including those by the Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court, which emphasised that university Acts must align with the UGC Act and regulations.

Regarding Basu's remarks about violating federal principles, Bose argued that "there has been attempt by the state government to control the universities in West Bengal."

He criticised rules passed by the West Bengal assembly in December 2019, which sought to establish an intermediary body between the chancellor and the VC, undermining university autonomy.

"These rules framed by the government try to establish a body between the chancellor and the VC and the VC and the university administration. Such a rule adversely affects the autonomy of the university," the statement added.

Bose asserted that the chancellor, as the head of the university, has the right to communicate directly with the VC, and vice versa, without involving additional authorities.

"The Chancellor being the Head of the University and the appointing authority of the Vice Chancellor is within his right to correspond or communicate with the Vice Chancellor directly without routing it through another authority. Similarly, the Vice Chancellor, who is only an appointee of the Chancellor, is bound to communicate directly to the Chancellor without disclosing the contents to an authority. The secretary of the department cannot act as a liaison officer without the authority of law," Bose said.

The statement from Raj Bhavan follows recent controversies over the appointment and removal of interim VCs without the consent of the state government.