Calcutta High Court Aids Vishva-Bharati University Prof Ousted From CERN Project, Says VC Acting Against University’s Interests Should Be Removed

The Calcutta High Court has provided relief to the Physics Head of Department of Vishva-Bharati University (“petitioner”) who had been initially selected by the University for a research project entitled “ Indian Participation in the CMS experiment at CERN: Maintenance, Operation and Upgradation.”

Subsequently, the petitioner had been taken off the project due to a letter signed by the VC of the University, addressed to the Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India, intimating them of alleged suspension of the petitioner due to being involved in activities vitiating the academic environment of the University.

In expressing strong disapproval of the conduct of the VC, and providing relief to the petitioner, a single-bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay held:

The letter written by the Vice-Chancellor has a tone as appears to this court that suspension for some reasons has already been proved. Not only nothing has been proved against him till date, the suspension order has also been set aside by order of this court. Vice Chancellor not only acted against the petitioner who was the Head of the Department of Physics but also acted against the interest of the University. The Ministry of Education is not a party in this matter but because of such damaging letter from his own University, I am of the view that this Bidyut Chakrabarty should be removed from the post of Vice-Chancellor.

The petitioner had claimed that after being selected for the project, the VC of the University had written to the Government of India to remove the petitioner from the project in a letter addressed to the Dept of Science and Technology.

Grounds for such removal were allegedly that the petitioner had engaged in some anti-University activities and that he had been suspended from the University for the same reasons.

In going through the VCs letter, the Court observed that the suspension order against the professor had been set aside by the Court and that no allegations as made by the VC had been proved against him.

The Court took exception to the fact that the VC had acted against the interests of his own university by undermining a senior professor who had been chosen to represent the country at an international conference.

Not only the University would be deprived (and has been deprived uptil now) but also the interest of the country in the field of Science and Technology has been jeopardized, it held.

Accordingly, the Court directed the University to conclude disciplinary proceedings against the petitioner forthwith, and for the reissuance of endorsement certificate to the petitioner.

On the basis of such endorsement, the Department of Science and Technology shall include Visva-Bharati (Associated member of Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, in short ‘SINP’) where the petitioner would work, as has been elaborated in the letter of the Department of Atomic Energy dated 17.06.2022 and it is to be seen that University is in no way deprived of such over-enthusiastic letter written by the said Bidyut Chakrabarty against the interest of the university founder of which is none other than Rabindra Nath Tagore, it was concluded.

Case: Manas Maity Vs Visva-Bharati & Ors.

Case No: WPA 9029 of 2023

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