As the clock ticks on Y.C. Simhadri's tenure as vice-chancellor of Patna University, all eyes are on Raj Bhavan to see if his term is extended beyond January 31 or whether an acting VC would be named until a final choice is made.

Sources in the Raj Bhavan said that as the interview process for appointing a new VC has not been initiated, the chancellor's office may depute any of the senior-most teachers of Patna University as in-charge vice-chancellor till a regular appointment is made.

The sources said that scrutiny of applications from candidates was going on and the process would continue for some more days. Once the scrutiny is done, the search committee constituted by Raj Bhavan for selection of VCs and pro-VCs will start interviewing the candidates.

The source said: "The interview process of VCs takes time. The search committee has to interview candidates for 20 posts (10 VCs and 10 Pro VCs) for 10 universities. There are different search committees for different universities which consist of two Raj Bhavan nominees and one from the state government."

Sources said that if the search committee fails to complete the interview process by January 31, one of the senior teachers of the university concerned may be given the charge of VC.

A senior teacher who also holds a post at Patna University Teachers' Association (Puta) said on the condition of anonymity: "If Y.C. Simhadri's term expires, then any one of these senior teachers - Kumudini Sinha, M.N. Sinha, Sudhir Kumar Srivastava or Dharamshila Prasad - could be given the additional charge of VC."

Kumudini Sinha is dean at the faculty of social science, MN Sinha is principal of Patna Science College; Srivastava, who has served as registrar of Patna University for a brief period, is likely to be made principal of Patna Science College; Prasad, who had served as principal of Patna College, now holds the post at Magadh Mahila College.

Senior teacher U.K. Sinha, who had served as VC of Patna University for a brief period between March and April 2013 on the basis of seniority, said: "As per Supreme Court guidelines, the senior teacher is given the charge of VC if the tenure of the regular VC expires and a new appointment has not been made."

Sinha, in 2013, was made the in-charge VC of Patna University after Shambhu Nath Singh was removed midway. However, some teachers approached the Supreme Court with a plea that the seniormost teacher should be made in-charge VC. Based on the apex court's observation, UK Sinha had to vacate his post and Arun Kumar Sinha, the then head of the statistics department, was given the job.

VCs named

Harikesh Singh has been appointed VC of JP University, Chhapra, while Syed Mumtazuddin has been made the VC of Veer Kuer Singh University, Ara. Governor-cum-chancellor Ram Nath Kovind made the appointments based on the search committee's recommendations. Singh is a senior teacher at Banaras Hindu University while Mumtazuddin is the pro-VC at LN Mithila University, Darbhanga.