Mamata vs Bengal Guv: TMC Govt Warns Universities of Action If They Pay Raj Bhavan’s Lawyers

All the West Bengal government universities have been warned against paying the lawyers, who are fighting a case against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s administration on behalf of the Raj Bhavan, the state Education Minister said on Tuesday.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Education Minister Bratya Basu said that the universities were asked to respond within 5 days on whether they made any such expenses.

“The state-run universities have been directed to reply within five days on whether they have made such expenses. Whether they had taken prior permission from the higher education department, under which budgetary allocation of the expenses was made, and whether the university’s finance committee sanctioned it. The higher education department would initiate appropriate actions under The West Bengal Universities (Control of Expenditure) Act 1976, once the replies come in,” Basu wrote on X.

“The universities can spend money according to a budget and as per the decisions of the institution’s finance committee. Universities are not the place where a zamindar can use his whip to collect revenue,” Basu added.

Banerjee government’s response comes after West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose’s office asked the state universities to provide the details of expenses incurred on engaging lawyers in the legal battle against the government in the Supreme Court.

“The legal expenses of the advocates engaged to appear in the case SLP 17403/2023 in the Supreme Court may be shared by all the universities concerned and the coordinating university viz. the Calcutta University may make the transactions,” HT reported quoting a letter sent by the Raj Bhavan’s senior special secretary.

Mamata Banerjee vs West Bengal Governor in SC

In August, the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee moved the Supreme Court against Raj Bhavan after Governor Bose, who is the chancellor of state-run universities, appointed interim vice chancellors without consulting the state government.

Educationists’ Forum, an association of professors, called Bose’s demand for funds from the universities unprecedented and added it violated rules.