The West Bengal government’s plan to appoint Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as Chancellor of state-run universities has hit a roadblock. President Droupadi Murmu has withheld assent to two key amendment bills passed by the state Assembly, effectively putting the proposed changes on hold.
According to Raj Bhavan sources, the bills- the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and the Aliah University (Amendment) Bill, 2022 -were reserved for the President’s consideration by the Governor on April 20 last year. These amendments sought to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as Chancellor of state-aided universities. In the case of Aliah University, the state government had also proposed appointing the Chief Minister as Amir-e-Jamia (Chancellor).
However, on Monday, sources confirmed that the President did not give her consent to either of the two bills. The primary reason cited is that the existing Principal Acts governing state-aided universities clearly state that the Governor shall be the Chancellor by virtue of office. In view of this explicit legal provision, the proposed amendments did not receive presidential approval.
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Officials from the state education department did not comment on the development.
The issue of who should head state universities has been a long-standing point of contention between Nabanna and Raj Bhavan. The state Cabinet had earlier taken a unanimous decision to bring in the amendments, which were subsequently passed by the Assembly.
With the President’s decision, the Governor will continue as Chancellor of state universities for now, dealing a significant setback to the state government’s plans. Political observers see this as a major blow, even as the Supreme Court has already clarified that in matters such as vice-chancellor appointments, the Chancellor must act in consultation with the Chief Minister.
