The Supreme Court-appointed search committee has interviewed all shortlisted candidates afresh to draw panels of names for the appointment of full-term vice-chancellors for three state-aided universities.

The three are: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University, Netaji Subhas Open University and North Bengal University.

In January, the search committee could not finalise the shortlist for these three universities because of a disagreement between then Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose and chief minister Mamata Banerjee over the names.

After the Supreme Court left it to the chairperson of the search committee, former Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit, to complete the vice-chancellor appointments, the committee decided to interview all shortlisted candidates and redraw the panels.

The panels will be presented before the Supreme Court, which is likely to hear the case on April 6.

“Exhaustive panels for all three universities have been drawn this time after interviewing the shortlisted candidates again. We hope the Supreme Court will be able to pick the vice-chancellors this time. The academic and administrative functions of the three universities are suffering in the absence of full-term vice-chancellors in these three campuses,” an official of the state education department said.

The Supreme Court’s January 16 order had said: “It seems the parties have divergent opinions concerning the recommendations or inter-se merit of the candidates
recommended for these three universities.”

The official of the education department said among the
three universities, Netaji Subhas Open University and North Bengal University — which affiliates colleges in North Bengal — do not even have officiating or interim vice-chancellors.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology has an officiating vice-chancellor who was appointed by the governor in his capacity as the chancellor of state-aided universities, allegedly without consulting the education department.

All government and private engineering colleges in the state are affiliated to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (formerly known as West Bengal University of Technology).

North Bengal University has been without a vice-chancellor since October 2023.

Netaji Subhas Open University has been without a vice-chancellor since September 2025. Teaching and non-teaching staff of the university recently staged a sit-in on the campus protesting the absence of a vice-chancellor, which they alleged was creating a deadlock on the campus.

Although Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology has an officiating VC, the education department has barred an authorised vice-chancellor from holding any meeting of the decision-making bodies or a convocation.

An education department official said: “We are looking forward to the appointment of full-term VCs in these three universities at the earliest so that stalemate comes to an end and normality is restored.”