CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of Prof Jagneshwar Dandapat as the in-charge vice-chancellor (V-C) of Utkal University, following the state government’s decision to cancel the appointment.
Filed by high court lawyer and alumnus of Utkal University Prabir Kumar Das, the PIL had questioned the legality of the May 27 appointment, citing non-compliance with Section 6(10) of the Odisha Universities Act, 1989. Das contended that the procedure for appointing an acting V-C had not been followed.
When the matter was taken up by the division bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MR Pathak, Advocate General Pitambar Acharya informed the court that the Chancellor of the university - the Governor of Odisha - had on July 22 issued an order cancelling the appointment of Prof Dandapat, a senior professor from the Biotechnology department.
Acharya submitted that the cancellation was in line with the law and further stated that the state cabinet had cleared a proposal to amend the relevant provisions of the Odisha Universities Act through an ordinance.
The proposed amendment, aimed at ensuring smoother university administration, would allow for the appointment of any qualified individual - not just sitting V-Cs - to the position of acting V-C, addressing the challenges of one person managing two universities simultaneously.
Acknowledging the development, the court noted that with the cancellation of the appointment, the main grievance in the PIL no longer survived. There remains nothing to be decided, the bench observed, and accordingly disposed of the petition.
However, the bench underscored the importance of upholding the law in spirit and substance, hoping that statutory provisions will be strictly adhered to in appointment of V-Cs in the future. On the state government’s proposed ordinance, the court held that it fell within the legislative domain.
The V-C’s post has remained vacant since November 24, 2024, following the end of the previous V-C’s term. A recent amendment to the Odisha Universities Act permits the Chancellor, in consultation with the state government, to appoint any sitting V-C of a public university in Odisha for up to one year in an interim capacity.