Supreme Court Appoints Former Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit for West Bengal Universities

The Supreme Court of India has appointed former Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as the chairperson of the search-cum-selection committee for all universities in West Bengal. This decision was made by a bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan.

The court was addressing a petition by the West Bengal government challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order to dismiss the state government’s plea against the Governor’s decision to appoint around 28 interim vice-chancellors. The West Bengal government, led by Mamta Banerjee, had differences with Governor C V Ananda Bose over these appointments.

The Supreme Court stated that the formation of the search-cum-selection committee aims to bring transparency, independence, fairness, and impartiality to the process, ensuring that only the most competent and integrity-driven individuals are shortlisted for the role of vice-chancellor.

The recommendations made by the committee will be presented to the Chief Minister for consideration. If the Chief Minister finds any candidate unsuitable, the remarks and supporting material will be forwarded to the Chancellor within two weeks. The Chief Minister can also recommend the shortlisted names in order of preference for the vice-chancellor appointments.

The Chancellor is expected to approve the recommendations within two weeks of receiving the file from the Chief Minister. The Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal, or any other concerned department must notify the appointment within one week of receiving the Chancellor’s approval.

If there are any objections from the Chief Minister or the Chancellor regarding the shortlisted names, the files will be presented to the Supreme Court for a final decision after giving the objectors a reasonable opportunity to be heard.