Supreme CourtWest BengalUniversity AppointmentsR.N. RaviMamata Banerjee
Supreme Court Directs West Bengal Governor to Appoint VCs to Three State Universities
Published: May 9, 2026
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The Supreme Court on Friday, May 8, 2026, directed West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi, in his capacity as chancellor, to appoint vice chancellors to North Bengal University, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, and Netaji Subhash Open University from the list recommended by a search-cum-selection committee chaired by former Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, mandated the appointments be completed within four weeks of finalizing procedural formalities.
The order resolves a prolonged standoff between the governor and the West Bengal government, which began in 2022 when the state legislature passed the West Bengal Universities (Amendment) Bill seeking to replace the governor with the chief minister as chancellor of state-run universities. The governor withheld assent, triggering a constitutional dispute that led the Supreme Court to constitute the Lalit-led committee on July 8, 2024, to oversee appointments across 36 state-aided universities.
The court acknowledged the efforts of former CJI Lalit, Attorney General R. Venkataramani representing the governor, and senior advocate Jaideep Gupta representing the state government in resolving the impasse. With the appointments to the three remaining universities now directed, the bench disposed of the West Bengal government's 2023 plea challenging the governor's inaction on university appointments.