Finally, the four State-run universities- Kolhan, Sido Kanhu, Nilamber Pitamber and Vinoba Bhave-have got vice chancellors (VCs) after a gap of over one year. But the long drawn process for the appointments witnessed all the factors into play like the tribal card, constitutionality of the Chancellor’s power and interpretation of the Supreme Court judgement in controversial appointments of VCs in Bihar.
The conclusion of the appointment process, however, is set to open a pandora’s box and is likely to land in the Jharkhand High Court. Though Chief Minister Hemant Soren has sounded diplomatic, HRD Minister Geetashree Oraon, who wanted a quota for the tribals-locals in the VCs’ appointment, has threatened to take a legal recourse in this regard.According to sources, the one and half hour meeting between the Team Governor and Team Chief Minister was more like a ‘deliberation’ and not ‘consultation’ during which the latest Supreme Court judgement in case of Bihar VCs came for varied interpretation from both sides.
Chief Minister Soren, who had 10-minute consultation with the Governor before the duo sat for the ‘consultation’, wanted the Raj Bhawan to scrap the entire appointment process and initiate it afresh as it did not follow the SC order in Ram Tabakya Singh case.Soren said that under the judgement there should have been a search committee as stipulated by the UGC regulations, which provide for constitution of a Search Committee consisting of eminent educationists / academicians.
Also, there should have been effective consultation as stipulated by the apex court. “The consultation should have begun right from constituting the search committee to floating the advertisement, setting the eligibility criteria and finally creating a consensus over the appointment,” he argued.The Team CM, legally briefed by Advocate General
RS Mazumdar, according to sources, also suggested that the Jharkhand University Act could be amended through an ordinance and till then the universities could run under the stopgap arrangement. “Since the Supreme Court judgement happens to be the law of land, it should be followed in letter and spirit,” his team members said.