KOLKATA: The West Bengal government's bid to make the Chief Minister the chancellor of state universities suffered a setback om Monday when President Droupadi Murmu rejected the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
With the President’s disapproval of the Bill, there will be no change in the post of chancellors in government-aided and sponsored universities in the state. As per the existing system, the Bengal Governor holds the chancellor portfolio in government universities across the state.
Governor C V Ananda Bose will remain in the post of chancellor of the universities as usual, according to Lok Bhavan sources.
In 2024, Bose had sent the Bill, which was passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, to the President for her consideration.
The West Bengal cabinet in 2022 had approved a proposal to appoint the CM Mamata Banerjee as the chancellor.
The state government had claimed that academic and administrative activities in these universities would gain momentum if the chief minister is made chancellor.
Former Governor Jagdeep Dhankar during whose regime the move was initiated had alleged that the state government was appointing VCs in various universities without consulting him.
He had alleged that vice-chancellors of "24 universities have been appointed illegally without the chancellor's approval".
The Opposition BJP and CPI-M had also come down heavily on the Trinamool Congress government for its bid to make the CM the chancellor.
The opposition camp had also alleged that the Mamata government wanted to establish its political influence in higher academic institutes in the state through the Bill.