Visva Bharati bodies to meet soon to select VC

Two decision making bodies of the Visva Bharati University will soon meet to nominate two members to a search committee for selecting a new vice-chancellor for the varsity, Officiating VC Sabujkali Sen said here today.

The Central university has been functioning without a full-time VC for the last two years after the then VC Sushanta Dattagupta was dismissed in February 2016.

The meetings of the Executive Council (EC) and the court, the two decision making bodies of the central university, will be held after getting a nod from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is its chancellor, Sen told PTI.

The names would then be forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind for the final decision, she said.

"We will be visiting Delhi on March 20 to discuss some financial issues. We will take up with the PMO the issue of convening the EC and court meetings on a single day as soon as possible.

"Once we get the nod to convene the meetings, we will act accordingly and two names will be forwarded to the search committee formed by the President," she said.

The President can choose from the two names or pick up a third one, she said on the sidelines of a programme of the Chinese Consulate here.

The HRD ministry had on February 23 asked the Visva Bharati University to nominate two names for the search committee after the President disbanded the earlier search committee.

Sen said the university will advertise in newspapers within two-three days inviting applications for the VC's post.

The applications will be screened by the university and if found appropriate, two selected names would be sent to the search committee. No university official, associated with the process of nominating the two names, can apply for the post, she said.