P Chidambaram and (above) Devanand Konwar

Patna, Sept. 14: Union home minister P. Chidambaram has written to Bihar Governor Devanand Konwar, who is also the chancellor of universities, seeking his comments on the charges levelled against him regarding appointment of vice-chancellors and pro-vice-chancellors in the state.

JD(U) MP Shivanand Tiwari had levelled the charges against Konwar when he met Chidambaram during the monsoon session of Parliament and submitted a memorandum against the governor. Tiwari also raised the issue in Rajya Sabha and demanded Konwar’s recall.

The letter issued by the Union home minister’s office on August 29 says: “It has been alleged that the chancellor had shown total disregard for statutes and made appointment of VCs unilaterally.” The letter also points out that Patna High Court had quashed the appointment of VCs of Magadh University, Bodhgaya, and Veer Kuer Singh University, Ara. “I will be grateful if you make comments on the charges,” Chidambaram has told Konwar in his letter.

Raj Bhavan sources confirmed receipt of the letter, but said Konwar was in Delhi.

“I had received an acknowledgment of the Union home minister that he was looking into the matter,” said Tiwari, alleging that the governor had misled Chidambaram on the issue.

The confrontation between Konwar and the state government over appointments of the state’s VCs and pro-VCs has been going on for over a year.

Bihar human resource development minister P.K. Shahi has charged the governor with not abiding by rules and bypassing mandatory consultation with the government before making the appointments.

The JD(U) has also alleged that most of the appointees had dubious backgrounds, with at least one of them facing a vigilance probe on corruption charges.

The single bench of the high court in its May verdict had not only quashed the appointments on the ground that the necessary consultations had not been made but it also maintained that the chancellor’s office had tampered with the files to show that consultations had been made.

Despite the verdict, the chancellor had gone ahead to make fresh appointments of six VCs and four pro-VCs.

Recently, on September 7, a double bench of Patna High Court upheld the single bench verdict. The next day, the high court also withdrew financial powers of the new university officials and forbade them from making any appointments.