Govt cancels Utkal University in-charge VC's appointment
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Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: The state govt has cancelled appointment of Jagneshwar Dandapat as in-charge vice-chancellor of Utkal University, the govt informed the Orissa high court on Wednesday.
The appointment was challenged citing violation of Odisha Universities Amendment Act, 2024.
The office of the chancellor of state public universities has also issued a notification regarding the cancellation of Dandapat's appointment, a senior faculty member from the university's biotechnology department. He was appointed in-charge VC on May 27 this year after Sabita Acharya's extended tenure as VC ended on May 23.
However, on June 3, high court lawyer and university alumnus Prabir Kumar Das filed a public interest litigation (PIL), alleging that the appointment violated Section 6(10) of the Act. The section lays down the procedure for appointing an acting VC. A recent amendment to the Act, notified on April 17, 2025, permits the chancellor (Governor of Odisha), in consultation with the state govt, to appoint a sitting VC of any public university in the state for a maximum period of one year as an interim arrangement.
The Orissa high court on Wednesday disposed of the PIL challenging the appointment of Dandapat as in-charge VC of Utkal University after the state govt informed that the appointment was cancelled. The division bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M R Pathak closed the matter after advocate general Pitambar Acharya produced a copy of the chancellor's order issued on July 22 cancelling Dandapat's appointment.
Acharya told the court that it was not administratively feasible for one person to function as VC for two universities. To address this issue, he said, the state cabinet approved an ordinance to further amend the Act to allow the appointment of any qualified person — not necessarily a sitting VC — as interim head. Taking note of the submission, the bench observed that since the appointment in question was already been cancelled, there was no need for further adjudication.
However, it emphasised that all future appointments must strictly adhere to legal provisions.
On the proposed ordinance, the court said the matter fell within the legislative domain of the state govt. With the cancellation of Dandapat's appointment, Utkal University, Odisha's premier and oldest university, continues to await a new VC. Meanwhile, the govt has started the VC recruitment process for 13 state public universities.
"Without VC, a university cannot function smoothly. For every decision, we need to consult the VC and take his/her approval for the university and constituent college's works. We do not know how to manage the works until a VC is appointed," said a professor of the university.
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