New Delhi:

The Supreme Court will today hear the case related to the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will oversee the proceedings.

On Sunday night, thousands gathered in Kolkata and across the globe, demanding justice for the victim. These demonstrations were part of a larger wave of protests, organised under the banner of “Reclaim the Night,” a movement calling for safety and justice for women in public spaces.

Supreme Court’s Earlier Hearing

The Supreme Court on August 20 termed the incident “horrific” and took additional measures to address safety concerns within the healthcare sector. The court issued several directives, including the formation of a 10-member National Task Force to develop protocols for ensuring the safety of doctors and healthcare workers across the country.

The court called upon protesting doctors who had been striking in solidarity with the victim to return to work, stating that “justice and medicine cannot be stopped.” 

The case initially faced delays, with the Supreme Court, during its hearing on August 22, criticising the Kolkata Police for their sluggish handling of the investigation. It was not until August 13 that the Calcutta High Court intervened, transferring the investigation from the Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI began its probe the following day, August 14.

The victim’s body was discovered in a seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on August 9, bearing severe injuries. A civic volunteer was arrested the next day in connection with the crime, but the investigation has since widened, resulting in the arrest of the college’s former principal as well.

Protests Worldwide 

From the streets of Kolkata to the cities of Europe, Asia, and the United States, the global Indian community rallied for justice Sunday night. Over 130 protests took place in 25 countries, including major cities like Stockholm, Sydney, and New York. Protesters – many clad in black -held vigils, sang in Bengali, and chanted slogans in solidarity with the victim.

The streets of Kolkata were transformed into protest sites as men and women, young and old, took to the streets to demand justice. From forming human chains to holding burning torches, protesters expressed their anger and sorrow for the victim, who they symbolically named “Tilottama” or “Abhaya.” 

“Whenever I think about the torment, the pain experienced by my daughter on that night, I shudder. She had dreams to serve society. Now, all these protesters are my children,” the victim’s mother said at a rally in Kolkata, as quoted by news agency PTI.

A 14-kilometre-long human chain stretching from Shyambazar in North Kolkata to the suburb of Sodepur was also organised. Thousands of citizens, including rival football fans from East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mohammedan Sporting, stood shoulder to shoulder, united in their call for justice.

Centre vs State 

Amid the protests, a political clash has emerged between the Centre and the West Bengal government, with the former accusing the state of “unpardonable” non-cooperation in extending logistical support to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which was tasked with providing security at RG Kar Medical College. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in its application to the Supreme Court, has called the lack of cooperation from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government “symptomatic of a systemic malaise.”

The Centre has urged the top court to direct the West Bengal government to fully cooperate with the CISF, failing which it has requested contempt proceedings against the officials responsible for non-compliance
 

New Delhi:

Bengali filmmaker Arindam Sil, who was suspended by the Directors’ Association of Eastern India (DAEI) following a complaint of alleged sexual harassment by an actor, has denied the charges and said what was being construed as misbehaviour was unintentional. He said he never took it that way, and the alleged incident happened during the normal course of shooting in front of people.

Mr Sil is the first big name in the Bengali film industry, also called Tollywood, against whom action has been taken by the DAEI, following a massive #MeToo movement in the Kerala film industry.

“How do I react? I don’t know. But only one thing I can say I have been 100 per cent clear to my conscience, and the matter to which I have been blamed is something that has happened in front of all who were there while I was discussing a sequence and acting, how a scene should be done. I think most directors do that,” Mr Sil told NDTV today.

“There were other people on the floor, though shooting was being done inside a room. There were technicians too. I can only say that it was 100 per cent unintentional. But the other party, she might have felt something else, but I haven’t felt it, absolutely not felt it,” he said.

“I am absolutely an extremely professional person, working in this industry for years. On the floor, cinema is my passion and if there is anything that has to be shown, it’s done very clinically. That’s how I do it… As far as the woman is concerned, unintentionally if I have hurt the actor, then I am sorry. Whatever I spoke or we all discussed, nothing was videographed or recorded,” he said.

An apology letter which Mr Sil had submitted to the women’s commission that’s looking into the allegation was cited as prima facie evidence by the DAEI in suspending him from the association.

On what he plans to do next, Mr Sil told NDTV, “I don’t know. Let’s see.”

The actor had filed the complaint with the West Bengal Commission for Women. Mr Sil said the DAEI suspended him before he could present his views to the association.

The actor told NEWS18 Bangla that she had full faith in the commission. “Let me ask him why one has to be physical to explain a shot? We are all professional actors. The rest I will state before the commission whenever needed in the future,” she said.

Mr Sil is known for his detective films such as ‘Har Har Byomkesh’ and ‘Mitin Mashi’, besides the Shabor series.

New Delhi:

The Union Women and Child Development Minister has responded to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s second letter, seeking a stringent law and exemplary punishment on heinous crimes such as rape and murder.

Ms Banerjee in her second letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sought a mandatory provision for time-bound disposal of rape and murder cases. The two letters came amid the CBI investigation into the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The BJP had called her a “liar” over her letters, and questioned her over why she has not done anything to ensure implementation of existing “stringent” rules and regulations to protect women in her state.

“With regard to the information contained in your letter about the status of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) and exclusive POCSO courts in West Bengal, I may mention that according to information received from the Calcutta High Court, West Bengal has established 88 Fast Track Courts (FTCs), which are not the same as the Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) covered under the Central Government Scheme…” Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi said in her response to Ms Banerjee.

“… ln spite of pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases in West Bengal, the state has not operationalised additional 11 FTSCs which may be exclusive POCSO courts or combined FTSCs dealing with both rape and POCSO cases, as per the state’s requirement. As may be seen, the information contained in your letter in this regard is factually incorrect and appears to be a step in the direction to cover up the delays in operationalizing the FTSCs by the state,” Ms Devi said.

 BJP co-incharge for West Bengal Amit Malviya has also questioned the Bengal Chief Minister over not doing enough to ensure rules and regulations to protect women and girls are strictly followed.

“It is incumbent on Mamata Banerjee to explain why the West Bengal government hasn’t done anything for implementing the stringent rules and regulations, which exist for protecting women and girls,” Mr Malviya said in a post on X. “Stop writing letters. Answer the questions. You are accountable,” he added.

On Ms Banerjee’s demand for permanent judicial officers in FTSCs, instead of only retired judicial officers as prescribed in the FTSC scheme guidelines, the Women and Child Development Minister said, “… I may inform you that the scheme guidelines clearly provide for one judicial officer and seven staff to work exclusively for disposal of Rape and POCSO Act cases. Hence, additional charge of FTSCs cannot be given to any permanent judicial officer or court staff. This position was clarified earlier to the state of West Bengal…”

The rape and murder of the junior doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has sparked outrage across the nation, with doctors and others in the medical profession calling for fundamental reforms to ensure dignity and security at their workplace.

The Trinamool Congress has alleged the BJP has politicised the incident. The BJP has, however, pointed the finger back at Ms Banerjee’s party with allegations that the medical college was ridden with insidious corruption.

The college’s former principal Sandip Ghosh is under investigation. The Central Bureau of Investigation has also arrested the key suspect Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, who was seen on CCTV outside the seminar room of the hospital where the junior doctor’s body was found.

Kolkata:

In a late-night development, the West Bengal Health Department on Wednesday announced the transfer of three top officials of state-run R.G Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, including its new Principal and Vice Principal.

Apart from the newly-appointed Principal Suhrita Pal, the newly-appointed Medical Superintendent & Vice Principal Bulbul Mukhopadhyay and the head of the institute’s Chest Medicine Department Dr Arunava Duta Chowdhury were also shifted out.

According to state Health Secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam, the decision was taken honouring the demand of the protesting junior doctors and medical students of R.G Kar Medical College & Hospital in particular and the representatives of the medical fraternity in general in order to resume normal medical services in the health sector of the state.

At the same time, Mr Nigam announced that the state government has also withdrawn its earlier notification for appointing former R.G Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh as the Principal of Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital (CNMCH).

Earlier in the day, the representatives of the medical fraternity took out a protest rally to the Swastha Bhavan, the state Health Department headquarters.

There a delegation of protesting doctors met the Department officials and handed over a memorandum enlisting their demands. The demands included the withdrawal of the notification for appointing Ghosh as CNMCH Principal and the removal of Pal as the current RG Kar Principal.

After coming out after the meeting, the delegation members said that they did not receive any firm commitment from the state Health Department officials that their demands would be fulfilled. The protesting doctors also asserted that they would be continuing with their agitation unless their demands were fulfilled. It is probably due to this all-round pressure, the state government decided to accept some of the demands of the protesting doctors and shift the officials concerned.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In caustic comments directed at the West Bengal government after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a Kolkata hospital and the subsequent vandalism in the campus, Governor CV Ananda Bose has said “vandals and scandals” are marring civic life in the state.

Mincing no words in a wide-ranging interview with NDTV on Friday, the West Bengal governor held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the situation in the state, claimed women medical students have told him that their families want them to leave the profession, and said it was disheartening that such incidents were taking place in a land where one of its most illustrious sons had spoken of the mind being without fear.

Mr Bose also said that he has opened a home in the Raj Bhavan, named after the 31-year-old trainee doctor who was raped and killed at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last week. The woman has been given the name ‘Abhaya’ (fearless) and the governor said students who feel threatened will be valued guests at the ‘Abhaya Home’. 

To a question on the politics that has come to surround the handling of the investigation and the protests by doctors and medical students, the governor said, “Scandals and vandals are marring the civic life of Bengal. I was interacting with some medical students. They told me, ‘Please deliver us from the fear psychosis. Please give us protection. We have no security inside the campus and now there is no security outside.’ That is the wailing of the youth, particularly those in the medical profession.”

“Some of the girl students told me they have nowhere to go, they have no security. ‘Our parents are asking us to leave the profession, give back the bond money. Come back. Life is more important than this,’ they told me,” he said, adding that a girl was afraid the “goons” would follow her to her rural posting. 

‘What Bengal Thinks Today…’

Stating that youth are neither creations of the past nor custodians of the present, Mr Bose said they are the creators of the future and it was distressing to see them having to plead for their security like this. 

“What happens on the street in the name of politics is none of my business. But the fact remains that there is a growing fear in Bengal’s society. There is violence everywhere. And all this is happening in Bengal, about which Gopalkrishna Gokhale once said, ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’. Is this the same Bengal about which Rabindranath Tagore said, ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high’? Democracy is plummeting into mobocracy. That is the distressing spectacle that we see around us. That’s what worries me as a governor,” he said.

Abhaya Home

The governor said he has faith in the CBI, which is investigating the case, and detailed a three-pronged approach that he has taken to ensure that the students’ grievances are addressed.

He said he has utilised his powers under Article 167 of the Constitution and given instructions to the chief minister, apart from taking up the matter with the Centre.

The third measure, an interim one, is the opening of the ‘Abhaya Home’ at Raj Bhavan, the governor’s official residence. 

“Any student who feels threatened can come here. They will be honoured guests, valued guests of the governor. Whatever other long-term measures are to be taken, I have already taken up with the state government as well as with the central government, including adequate legislation guaranteeing security for medicos and paramedics… Everything that is possible for confidence building will be done,” Mr Bose emphasised.

President’s Rule?

Employing wordplay and keeping his cards close to his chest while answering a question on the opposition’s demand for President’s Rule in West Bengal, the governor said, “Demand is demand, let’s see what the supply is. As governor, I would like to be circumspect on such issues. The Constitution has many options. I reserve my options at this moment… I do not want to come out in the public domain about what I’m going to do next under the Constitution of India”. 

‘Chief Minister Responsible 1st, 2nd and 3rd’

Holding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for what is happening in West Bengal, the Governor said that while the cabinet has collective responsibility, the buck stops with her. 

“The cabinet has collective responsibility. Whatever happens in the state, the first responsibility is that of the chief minister, the second responsibility is that of the chief minister and the third responsibility is that of the chief minister,” he said.

Mr Bose insisted he has been getting frantic calls from medical professionals all over India, who have told him they are afraid. 

“The medical fraternity stood as a one-man army against Covid and saved this country. We owe it to them. They don’t deserve such treatment. It is said medicines can cure diseases but only a doctor can cure patients. That is the importance of the medical fraternity, including the paramedics. We cannot let them down,” he stressed. 

When Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India in 1905, announced the partition of Bengal on religious lines, the decision was met with stiff resistance from a section of people. Bengalis, mainly from the Hindu-dominated western part of the province, alleged that the step was part of the British colonial policy of divide and rule. Among the intellectuals who actively led the protests against the bifurcation was Rabindranath Tagore.

The celebrated bard, in an ode to Mother Bengal, composed a song in support of the resistance against the partition of the state: “Banglar mati, Banglar jol, Banglar baayu, banglar phal, Punyo houk punyo houk, punyo houk hey bhagoban”. Loosely translated, it says this: “The soil of Bengal, the water of Bengal, the air of Bengal, the fruit of Bengal, blessed be them, blessed be them, blessed be them, Oh Lord”. As per historical records, he also initiated a “Raksha Bandhan Utsav” to unite Hindus and Muslims against the division. 

The Raj claimed that the partition was intended to improve administration, with Calcutta being the capital for the western part and Dacca for the east. However, the protesters dubbed it as a ploy to drive a religious wedge among Bengalis. Ultimately, towards the end of 1911, King George V annulled the partition and declared the reunification of the eastern part with the then Bengal Presidency.

Why Few Are Buying The Idea

It’s against this background that the votaries of the “divide Bengal” theory today find themselves facing strong opposition from the people of Bengal, where linguistic and cultural bonds are held above religious beliefs. In fact, the 2024 mandate proved that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has managed to successfully navigate the issue of “outsiders” beyond religious lines. Nonetheless, another division, which led to the formation of East Pakistan amidst widespread bloodshed, went against political prudence. 

The northern parts of Bengal and the western areas lying along the borders of Jharkhand and Odisha have seven Lok Sabha and 49 assembly segments each. Any decision to bifurcate or trifurcate the state may affect the TMC electorally in the remaining 28 Lok Sabha and 196 assembly constituencies spread across the rest of the state.

Sporadic voices for a bifurcation, or trifurcation, have been raised by individuals who find that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has done well with voters in the north and southwestern parts of the state. Around half of the dozen seats the BJP has won in Bengal this year are from the north and four from the southwest.

Incidentally, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) too has been working with tribals and other inhabitants of Jangalmahal (the forested areas in the southwestern region of the state) for over two decades, and their work bore fruit for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. However, subsequent internal events – including infighting among some state leaders and their followers – have stagnated its growth. Yet, the party enjoys the status of being the largest opposition in the state.

Two Movements

In north Bengal, separatist movements like the Gorkhaland agitation in the Darjeeling hills and the Kamatapur movement by Koch Rajbongshis of Cooch Behar, have been going on for decades. The Koch Rajbongshis movement – which has always aimed to pressurise the ruling governments in the state – has found the BJP being sympathetic towards it. The party’s leadership has not officially accepted its demands, though a few MPs from north Bengal have expressed open support. 

Undoubtedly, the BJP has enjoyed support in these areas of the state; the party has been winning Darjeeling since the 2009 national election. It also won the Cooch Behar seat for the first time in 2019, though it lost it later, apparently due to the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) rules ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Rajbongshis claim that the rules will allow people who migrated from across the border to continue living on their ancestral land.

The disquiet was again evident when Nagendra Ray, a BJP representative in the Rajya Sabha and staunch advocate of a separate state, reiterated on July 25 the demand for a Greater Cooch Behar state. Ray goes by the name of ‘Ananta Maharaj’ and claims that he is a direct descendent of the erstwhile rulers of the earlier Cooch Behar state. In the Rajya Sabha, he claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured him that he would look into the demand for a separate state and that the Prime Minister too had instructed the Home Ministry regarding that.

Not An Easy Route

But as was the case with Gorkhaland, a separate state for the Koch Rajbongshi community would entail carving out portions of not only Bengal but adjoining states as well. Such an attempt may not sit well with the adjoining northeastern neighbours, where the BJP has been doing well with support from its North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) partners.

Considering the history, a further division of Bengal is thus an idea that may never come to fruition even if it continues to loom over the state. In any case, Mamata Banerjee will try to gain as much political mileage out of the issue as she can ahead of the 2026 assembly election. 

(Jayanta Bhattacharya is a senior journalist writing on polls and politics, conflict, farmer and human interest issues)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

Kolkata:

Daggers were drawn on the first day of the two-day brainstorming session of the Bengal BJP unit to discuss the reasons behind the party’s dismal performance in the state’s Lok Sabha elections, as several leaders demanded a change of guard and accountability within the state organisation.

The extended session of the state executive committee was held after the party lost three assembly seats to the TMC in last week’s by-polls, marking another disappointment for the BJP following its poor performance in the parliamentary elections, where its tally fell from 18 seats in 2019 to 12.

Speaking to reporters, senior BJP leader and MP Saumitra Khan emphasized the need for a change of leadership in the state organisation.

“There is a need for more accountability and change in the state organisation after our dismal performance. The change is necessary as the people have sent us a message in the state,” he said.

Another senior BJP leader, who preferred to remain anonymous, underscored the urgency to overhaul the state unit after the disappointing electoral results.

“If we want to make our presence felt in the 2026 assembly polls, we must set our house in order as soon as possible. The change in the state unit is the need of the hour. Those who made decisions on behalf of the state unit must accept responsibility and step down,” the leader said.

Echoing Mr Khan’s sentiments, former BJP MP Arjun Singh, who lost from the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, admitted the “shortcomings”.

“We must acknowledge the party’s challenges, whether organisational or otherwise, and swiftly address them before the 2026 assembly polls,” he said.

Addressing the opening session of the meeting, BJP state president and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said the results of the Lok Sabha polls cannot be indicative of the party’s prospects in the state.

He added, “We will discuss the way forward. While our seat tally has dropped to 12 from 18, we need to identify what did not work. We must work hard and counter the onslaught and misrule of the TMC.” Mr Majumdar pointed out that despite the decrease in seats, the results also had positive aspects.

“The BJP may have lost, but that does not mean we are insignificant in Bengal. Despite threats and intimidation, we secured around 39 per cent of the votes. In several wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area, we lead in terms of vote share,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who has faced criticism over the party’s state performance, clarified, “I did not oversee the organisation. I am the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, and there has been no instance where I have made remarks against the party.” “Besides, I was not responsible for the organisational aspects of the state unit,” said Mr Adhikari, a key member of the BJP state core committee.

In response, Mr Majumdar later told reporters that the role of organisational prowess in winning an election is not much.

“When a party wins, everyone credits organisational strength, and if it loses, everyone blames organisational strength. This is natural. However, according to political observers, the role of organisational set-up in winning an election is just 10-25 per cent,” he said, adding that Mr Adhikari was a key member of the core committee.

While the party conducted a brainstorming session at the Science City auditorium, a group of party workers, who have formed a grouping named ‘BJP Banchao Mancha’ (Save BJP Platform), staged a sit-in outside the state headquarters in central Kolkata, demanding action against certain state leaders whom they hold responsible for the poor poll performance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Kolkata:

The West Bengal government has constituted a seven-member panel headed by a retired judge of the Calcutta High Court to review the three new criminal laws, an official said on Wednesday.

A notification in this regard was issued on Tuesday, he said. The panel will submit its report within three months from the date of notification.

“The state government is pleased hereby to constitute a committee for reviewing the said criminal laws, i.e. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanita, 2023 (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA),” the Home Department release said.

Meanwhile, Governor C V Ananda Bose called upon Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “to furnish an immediate report on the objectives of the committee to review the amended CRPC, IPC and the Evidence Act”, a statement released by his office said.

“West Bengal cannot be a state within a state or turned into a banana republic,” it said.

The state government panel headed by Justice (retired) Ashim Kumar Roy also includes the state’s Law Minister Malay Ghatak and Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, the official said.

The three laws came into force throughout the country from July 1.

“The committee shall have the power to engage academic experts, senior advocates, research assistants and other legal experts for seeking their views on the subject matter. It shall also have the power to carry out public consultation,” the notification said.

Banerjee had on June 21 written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to defer implementation of the new criminal laws.

She had also sought further discussion in Parliament on the new laws.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday appointed former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit to head a search-cum-selection committee to oversee the appointments of vice-chancellors for state-run universities in West Bengal.

The ruling Trinamool Congress dispensation in West Bengal has a running feud with Governor C V Ananda Bose, who is also the chancellor of state-run universities, over how the universities should be run.

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said the committee be constituted within two weeks after noting that both the state and the office of the governor agreed on the formation of the panel.

The top court authorised the chairperson of the panel to constitute separate or joint search cum-selection-committees for one or more universities, keeping in view the nature of subjects/disciplines in which education is being imparted in such pooled universities.

“The chairperson is requested to nominate four persons out of the empanelled experts, whom he finds capable of shortlisting suitable names for appointment as vice-chancellors.

“The chairperson shall preside over every search-cum-selection committee and thus, the composition of each such committee shall be five. The search-cum-selection committee shall prepare a panel of at least three names (alphabetically and not in order of merit) for each university,” the bench said.

The chairperson is requested to constitute the search-cum-selection committees for a group or individual universities as early as possible and preferably within two weeks, it said.

“The Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal, is hereby nominated as the nodal department of the state government to issue advertisements giving vide publicity to invite applications for the posts of vice-chancellors.

“Such advertisements shall contain the details of the requisite qualification and other eligibility conditions, with a specific reference to this court’s order, so as to infuse confidence, leaving no uncertainty in the minds of the meritorious aspirants in submitting their claims,” the bench said.

The advertisements shall give four-week time to submit the applications, it added.

“Such applications shall be scrutinised by the department concerned of the state government within one week and shall thereafter the entire set of all applications be placed before the chairperson of the search-cum-selection committee, who in turn, will get the dossier of each candidate prepared for consideration of the search cum selection committee,” the bench said.

“The search committee may endeavour to complete their task within three months from today. The chairperson shall be paid an honorarium of Rs 3 lakh for every effective day of proceedings of the search committee until the entire process is completed. The state government, in addition to the honorarium, shall provide the chairperson with a suitable office and full secretarial assistance, along with transit accommodation in Kolkata,” the bench said.

The recommendations made by the search-cum-selection committee, duly endorsed by the chairperson, shall be put up before the chief minister (and not the minister in charge of a department) for necessary consideration, it said.

“In case the chief minister has reasons to believe that any shortlisted person is unsuitable for appointment as vice-chancellor, the remarks to this effect along with supporting material and the original record of the recommendation made by the search-cum-selection committee shall be put up before the learned chancellor within two weeks.

“The chief minister shall be entitled to recommend the shortlisted names in order of preference for appointment as vice-chancellors. The chancellor, on the receipt of record from the chief minister, shall appoint the vice-chancellors out of the empanelled names in the same order of preference as recommended by the chief minister,” the bench said.

The top court said that in case the chancellor has any reservation against the empanelled names and/or the remarks made by the chief minister against any shortlisted candidate, he shall be entitled to put up his own opinion on file, duly supported with reasons and relevant material.

“The chancellor shall accord his approval (save and except when there is a difference of opinion) within two weeks of receipt of the file from the chief minister. The Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal, or any other department concerned of the state government are hereby directed to notify the appointment within one week from the date of receipt of approval from the learned Chancellor of the University.

“In the case(s) where the chief minister has objected to the inclusion of any name in the panel and such objection is not acceptable to the chancellor or where the chancellor has an objection against empanelment of any particular name for which he has assigned his own reasons, all such files shall be put up before this court,” it said.

The top court made it clear that a final decision in this regard shall be taken by the top court after giving a reasonable opportunity of being heard to the objectors.

The state of West Bengal shall file the status report in respect to compliance with the directions issued hereinabove before the next date of hearing, the bench said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

BJP president JP Nadda slammed the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal on Monday over a “horrific” video of a man brutally assaulting a couple in public.

He said in a post on X, “A horrific video has come to light from West Bengal, reminding of the brutalities that exist only in theocracies. To make matters worse, the TMC cadre and MLAs are justifying the act.” Mr Nadda added, “Be it Sandeshkhali, Uttar Dinajpur or many other places, Didi’s West Bengal is UNSAFE for women.” The West Bengal Police on Sunday registered a case over the incident.

The man seen in the video beating up a couple with a bamboo stick was allegedly a local TMC leader of Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district where the incident occurred following a kangaroo court decision.

The accused, Tajmul alias JCB, was arrested. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)