TMC Government Questions Bengal Universities On Incurring Legal Costs For Governor Ananda Bose In Supreme Court

The government of West Bengal, led by Trinamool Congress (TMC), has issued a letter to every university within the state, requesting them to justify the legal costs incurred in defending Governor CV Ananda Bose in the Supreme Court. It should be noted that the governor also holds the position of chancellor for these universities.

According to The Indian Express, the letter dated 18 December has been sent by the special secretary of the state education department, requesting a comprehensive breakdown of the expenses and a justification if these costs were sanctioned by the state finance department. The government expects a response within a five-day period.

The case concerning Governor Bose's action of assigning temporary vice-chancellors to numerous state-controlled universities in West Bengal is currently under review by the Supreme Court.

Previously, the governor's special secretary sent a letter on 17 October to the interim vice-chancellors of various universities. The letter, following the chancellor's directives, stated that the universities should jointly bear the legal costs for the Supreme Court case. It also mentioned that the University of Calcutta is responsible for handling the financial transactions to ensure coordination among them.

Accusations were made that the Governor's Secretariat had sent a letter soliciting funds for the case from multiple universities, claiming it was under the directive of Governor Bose.

The Higher Education Department received a letter, numbered 1092-S and dated 17/10/2023, from the Senior Special Secretary to the Honorable Governor of West Bengal. The letter instructed the Vice-Chancellor (Authorised) of Calcutta University that all legal expenses, resulting from the hiring of Advocates to represent the Honorable Chancellor of the University in the Supreme Court case SLP 17403/2023 (State of West Bengal Vs Dr. Sanat Kumar Ghosh & Ors.) and other related cases, should be divided among all relevant universities. As the Coordinating University, Calcutta University is tasked with managing the transactions for these payments as they occur, as stated by the education department in their letter.

The letter also sought information on the total legal costs that have been accumulated and/or disbursed to various lawyers to date in the case of SLP 17403/2023 (State of West Bengal Vs Dr. Sanat Kumar Ghosh & Ors or any other related cases, if any, on behalf of the esteemed Chancellor of the University.

The letter further inquired, "It is pertinent to know if the advocates involved are officially appointed by the Universities. Moreover, it is essential to confirm whether the Honorable Chancellor has obtained prior consent from the respective Universities' Senate, Syndicate, Court, Executive Council, or Governing Board for the engagement of Advocates in the aforementioned case or any other cases."

It should be noted that all Universities are funded by the state, and there are specific guidelines for the use of public funds, whether these funds are allocated from the state treasury or generated through student fees, donations, etc.

The letter asked to ensure that response reaches the office within the designated timeframe. "Future actions will be determined based on your response. This notice has been issued with the endorsement of the competent authority of this Department," it said.

Following the release of the letter, Bratya Basu, the state Education Minister, posted on X, stating, "Regardless of the situation, it's inappropriate to compare university fees to zamindari tax collection methods."