Jolt to TMC govt as President rejects bill to make CM chancellor of Bengal universities
Presidential assent denied to three West Bengal amendment bills proposing to make the chief minister chancellor of state-run universities, maintaining status quo
President Droupadi Murmu has withheld her assent to three amendment Bills passed by the West Bengal Assembly that sought to replace the governor with the chief minister as chancellor of state-run universities, an official said.
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As a result, Governor CV Ananda Bose will continue to discharge his duties as the chancellor as before, in line with the existing legal provisions, the official said on Monday.
University amendments stalled
In April 2024, Bose had reserved the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Aliah University (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, for the consideration of the President of India. The West Bengal University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
All the Bills, passed in June that year, sought to replace the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of the state-aided universities. Jagdeep Dhankhar was the governor of West Bengal at that time.
"The Bills sought to replace the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of the state-aided universities. The Hon'ble President of India has withheld assent from the above Bills," the Lok Bhavan official said.
Status quo on chancellorship
The tussle over the administration of state-run universities between the state government and the governor prompted the Mamata Banerjee administration to bring the legislation.
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The state government had argued that the change would facilitate faster administrative decision-making and more effective governance of universities.
After examination at the central level, the President withheld assent to the Bills. As a result, the principal Acts governing state-aided universities, which provide that "the governor shall, by virtue of his office, be the chancellor of the university," will continue to remain in force, the official said.
(With agency inputs)