Visva Bharati asked to nominate 2 members for panel to select new VC

The Ministry of Human Resources Development has directed the Visva Bharati University to nominate two members to a search committee for selecting a new vice-chancellor for the varsity.

The central university has been functioning without a fulltime VC for the last two years after the then Vice-Chancellor Sushanta Dattagupta was dismissed from the central university in February 2016.

The Visva Bharati University received an e-mail from the HRD ministry yesterday asking it to hold a meeting of its Executive Council and the Court to nominate two members, Sougata Chatterjee, the acting Registrar of the university, told PTI.

The Court is a university body having power to review the acts of the EC and the Academic Council.
 

Some media reports said President Ram Nath Kovind has scrapped the previous panel of three names on the request of the HRD ministry, which had earlier forwarded these names.

"We will soon fix a date for the meeting of EC and Court and make arrangements for nominating two names," Chatterjee said.

Sabujkali Sen had taken over as the officiating VC of the varsity on February 3 as the seniormost functionary following the HRD ministry's directive.

The HRD ministry's letter of February 3 had assigned Sen the charge of VC and stated that she would be in charge till the appointment of the new Vice Chancellor.

But her term as the Director of Studies Educational Innovations and Rural Reconstruction of the university expires tomorrow.

As per the University Act and Statute, the seniormost principal of a school, who is also member of the EC, takes charge of officiating VC.

Asked if she knew about any development on the process to appoint a new VC, Sen told PTI, "I have read about it in a local daily. But I can't say anything."

After Vice-Chancellor Dattagupta was dismissed in 2016, Prof Swapan Kumar Dutta became the officiating VC. He retired on January 27 and Sen assumed the charge on February 3.

Sen had stated last week that the Visva Bharati cannot function without a fulltime VC.

The university was established by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and has many notable alumni including filmmaker Satyajit Ray and economist Amartya Sen.