North Bengal University: Teachers seek court launch to pick VC

Siliguri, March 7.TT: Teachers at North Bengal University have demanded that vice-chancellor Arunabha Basumajumdar immediately start the process of forming the varsity court to facilitate the selection of his successor as his extended term ends on March 31.

The NBU chapter of the All Bengal University Teachers’ Association alleged that Basumajumdar was delaying the constitution of the court — the highest decision-making body of the institution — so that he could get another extension of his term as the VC.

The West Bengal University Laws (Amended Act) 2011 says that VCs of 13 state-aided varsities will be selected by a three-member committee comprising the nominees of the governor, the chairperson of the University Grants Commission and the court or senate. The committee members should be eminent persons with no political leanings.

Ajit Roy, the vice-president of the NBU chapter of the association, said Calcutta University and Jadavpur University had formed the senate or court in December last year as soon as governor M.K. Narayanan had promulgated an ordinance that later became the Act.

“Our university has not yet set in motion the process of forming the court which will nominate a member to the search committee that will pick the new VC. We demand that this should be done immediately as the current VC’s term of extension will end on March 31,” said Roy.

Although Basumajumdar’s four-year term had ended on December 31, the state higher education department granted him a three-month extension as the court and the search committee were not constituted.

The association alleged that Basumajumdar was delaying the formation of the committee with an intention to get another extension.

“It is the prerogative of the VC to write to the governor and the UGC chairperson and request them to name their nominees of the search committee. We are still in the dark as to whether he has done it or not. It is evident that he is delaying the formation of the court to hold back the process of selecting the new VC and get another extension,” said Roy.

“By the time the court is constituted and search committee nominees are selected, his extension will end. Then, the government will have no option but to extend the current VC’s tenure again,” he added.

NBU sources said the VC could form the court by issuing notifications to the ex-officio members of the body like the chancellor and the UGC chairperson. The court will have 60 members, of whom 40 will be ex-officio nominees.

Although Basumajumdar did not take calls from The Telegraph, NBU officials said letters had already been sent to the governor and the UGC chairperson with a request to name their nominees for the search panel. “The VC has sent letters to the governor and the UGC chairperson and requested them to nominate their representatives for the search committee. The process to form the court will begin soon,” said a varsity official.