Allahabad High Court has set a final deadline of April 16 for the Union government to appoint a vice-chancellor at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), one of several central higher educational institutions operating without a regular VC or director.
A division bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra passed the directive on Wednesday after the government failed to fulfil its commitment to appoint a new VC.
The President as the Visitor is responsible for appointing the VC based on recommendations from a search and selection panel. The education ministry sets up these panels and forwards the names of the selected candidates to the President for approval.
The issue came to light when Harikesh Bahadur Singh, a resident of Varanasi, filed a PIL in Allahabad High Court alleging misuse of power by the previous VC of BHU, S.K. Jain, whose term ended two months ago.
On January 8, the education ministry sought a week’s extension of the deadline and the court granted time till February 5. However, when the deadline passed, the ministry sought more time, which the court again granted, pushing the deadline to March 5. The government failed to meet this deadline as well. In its ruling on March 12, the court said the appointment process would have to be completed by April 16.
“Today again, time is being sought without any information about any progress on the part of the respondents. Today, adjournment is being sought on account of personal difficulty of the counsel appearing for the Union of India. The last opportunity is granted to do the needful, as has been assured to the court on the last three occasions. List the petition on April 16 as fresh,” the order said.
Singh criticised the government’s lack of urgency, pointing out that key positions in the executive council, the university’s highest decision-making body, have remained vacant since June 2021. “The government does not bother about the institutions and the courts. This is evident as the government has failed on its promise for the third time,” Singh said.
Education activist Naveen Nautiyal, who has filed multiple cases related to irregularities in VC appointments, said several institutions were functioning without a regular VC or director. These include BHU, Visva-Bharati, the Central University of Kerala, the Central University of Gujarat, Rajiv Gandhi University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIM Calcutta and IIM Lucknow.
Nautiyal said: “Higher education is not the priority of the central government. That is why appointments are not happening on time. India cannot become a global leader without focusing on education. The government must focus on education, research and innovation.
“Education is a long-term investment. For the government what matters is immediate electoral gains. Education does fit into electoral gain politics.”
During a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday on the ministry’s functioning, the Opposition parties alleged that the posts were lying vacant as the government was not finding candidates who subscribed to its ideology. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan refuted the allegation.