Devanand Konwar and Shambhu Nath Singh

Patna, Feb. 9: Governor Devanand Konwar today reinstated six vice-chancellors, whose appointment was quashed by Patna High Court last month, besides making two new appointments.

Of the eight vice-chancellors appointed, half of them were facing vigilance probe. The state government had raised objections to their earlier appointment. The Raj Bhavan, however, overruled the government’s recommendations and made the appointments.

The VCs who have been reinstated are Shambhu Nath Singh, Arun Kumar, Ram Vinod Singh, Bimal Kumar, Arvind Pandey and Shamshuzzoha. Three were retained in the universities they had been serving, while the rest were shifted to new varsities.

The VCs retained in their respective universities are Shambhu Nath Singh (Patna University), Arvind Pandey (Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University) and Shamshuzzoha (Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University, Patna).

Ram Vinod Singh, who was the VC of JP University, Chhapra, has been made the new VC of BN Mandal University, Madhepura. Similarly, Bimal Kumar who was the VC of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (BBA) Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, has been shifted to JP University Chhapra. Arun Kumar, who earlier held the VC’s post in Magadh University, Nalanda Open University and BN Mandal University, Madhepura, has been shifted to Magadh University.

“The two new appointments are Kumaresh Prasad Singh. He was holding the pro-VC’s office at Veer Kuer Singh University (VKSU), Ara, and has been made the VC of BBA Bihar University, Muzaffarpur. Shiv Shankar Singh, the principal of Maharaja College, Ara, has been made the new VC of VKSU,” a source in the Raj Bhavan said.

The Raj Bhavan source said the list was prepared by Konwar and no official of the Governor's House was involved in the process. The source added that the appointments were made on the direction of the high court that had recommended consultation with the state government.

Earlier, the education department had raised its objection with a plea that the list sent by the Raj Bhawan included names of VCs facing vigilance probe. Shambhu Nath Singh and Arun Kumar were facing vigilance probe and charge of financial irregularities, respectively. Arvind Pandey was facing three cases of financial irregularities, while Bimal Kumar was facing charges of financial irregularities and vigilance probe too.

With the appointments of eight VCs, most universities in Bihar have got administrative heads. However, the VCs' posts at Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur and Nalanda Open University, Patna, are still vacant.

Amar Kumar Singh, the head of department, Hindi, Patna University, said: 'The reinstatement of the Patna University VC will speed up the academic activities in the university. Within his short tenure, he has initiated several steps to improve the academic atmosphere at the university like starting semester system, appointing teachers at the College of Arts and Crafts and holding students' union election after three decades.'

Persian department senior teacher Mohammed Ghaffar Siddiqui said: 'Shamshuzzoha's biggest academic achievement is that despite having less Arabic students at Patna College, he successfully ran the department.'

On Arun Kumar, a teacher at AN College said: 'He has been teaching for more than 30 years. He had earlier held various academic and administrative posts at the College of Commerce. He was also the pro-VC of BN Mandal University, Madhepura.'