With the President’s decision, Governor C. V. Ananda Bose will continue as Chancellor of West Bengal’s state-aided universities. Officials confirmed that three amendment bills — the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Aliah University (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2022 — have not received presidential approval.

The bills, passed by the Assembly in June 2022, proposed transferring the powers of the Chancellor from the Governor to the Chief Minister. They were forwarded to the President in April 2024 for consideration after being withheld by the Raj Bhavan amid concerns over constitutional propriety.

The Mamata Banerjee-led government had argued that vesting the Chancellor’s role in the Chief Minister would enable quicker administrative decisions and improve the functioning of universities, citing repeated delays in appointments and approvals due to differences between the state government and the Governor.

However, the refusal of assent means that the current legal framework will continue to apply, reinforcing the Governor’s position as Chancellor and prolonging the long-running standoff between the state government and the Raj Bhavan over control of higher education institutions.

The development has also reignited debate within academic circles. Teachers’ bodies, including the West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association and the Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association, reiterated that the post of Chancellor should not be held by a political authority. Leaders of both organisations said the role should be entrusted to an eminent academician capable of addressing institutional challenges without political influence.

With the amendment effort stalled, the state government is left with limited options, while uncertainty persists over future reforms in university governance and appointments across West Bengal’s higher education system.