Governor cancels appointment of in-charge Vice Chancellor of Utkal University

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor has cancelled the appointment of the in-charge Vice Chancellor of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

A notification issued by the office of the Chancellor (Governor), Raj Bhavan, Odisha, Bhubaneswar said that the Chancellor, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar   cancelled the appointment of Prof. Jagneshwar Dandapat, Professor in Biotechnology, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar as the In-charge Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University, Bhubaneswar with immediate effect.

According to Section 6 and Sub-Section 10 of the Odisha University Act, 1989, if there is no permanent Vice-Chancellor in a university, then there is a provision to appoint the Vice-Chancellor of another public university as the acting Vice-Chancellor. But in violation of this, a professor was appointed as the acting Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University on May 27.

Opposing this move, an advocate named Prabir Kumar Das had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of the acting Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University as illegal.

During the hearing of the case, the Advocate General informed the High Court that the Chancellor had cancelled the appointment. The hearing was conducted by a bench comprising Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Manas Ranjan Pracharak.

The High Court has closed the case as the illegal appointment has been cancelled. The High Court has clarified on this occasion that any appointment should be within the provisions of the law. During the hearing, the Advocate General informed that an ordinance regarding the appointment of the Vice Chancellor has been approved by the state cabinet. After it is formally promulgated, a new Vice Chancellor will be appointed.