New Delhi: The Supreme Court has upheld the Calcutta High Court’s decision to set aside Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee’s reappointment as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta.

Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee is no longer the Vice-Chancellor from the date the judgement was pronounced

The Supreme Court is of the view that the state government cannot take such a decision without the approval of the West Bengal Governor.

On September 13, the Calcutta High Court, while hearing public interest litigation, had set aside Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee’s reappointment on the post of Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University.

A division bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj had said that the post of Calcutta University vice-chancellor Sonali had been ‘forcibly usurped’ by appointing her for the second time.  As a result, the judgment delivered by the High Court will stand. Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee is no longer the Vice-Chancellor from the date the judgement was pronounced by the Calcutta HC.

It may be mentioned here that Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee was re-appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University on August 27 last year by the Mamata government. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed against it in the Calcutta High Court.

The Mamata government had moved the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision.