Stay Order in Dr Pant’s VC Appointment Case; Next Hearing on January 5

Way2barak, November 3 : Assam University Vice-Chancellor Professor Rajive Mohan Pant will continue in office for the time being, following an interim stay granted by a Division Bench of the Gauhati High Court on Tuesday. After hearing an appeal filed by Prof. Pant challenging an earlier order of a single-judge bench, the Division Bench stayed the operation of the previous judgment. The next hearing has been scheduled for January 5, 2027. The order has brought temporary relief to the uncertainty surrounding the Vice-Chancellor’s position.

The case, registered as WA/413/2026, was heard by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Kaushik Goswami. Dr. Sameera Behera, the original petitioner, along with five others, is arrayed against Prof. Pant. The Union Ministry of Education, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Assam University are also respondents in the case.

It may be recalled that on October 14, a single-judge bench, while hearing WP(C) No. 7283/2025, had set aside Prof. Pant’s appointment as Vice-Chancellor. The court had also directed the university to entrust the charge to an eligible person until a regular Vice-Chancellor was appointed and to initiate a fresh recruitment process.

During Tuesday’s hearing, counsel for Prof. Pant, K. N. Choudhury, argued that Clause 7.3 of the UGC Regulations, 2018, provides two alternative eligibility criteria for appointment as Vice-Chancellor: ten years of experience as a professor in a university, or ten years of experience in a reputed research or academic administrative organisation, along with demonstrated academic leadership. He submitted that Prof. Pant’s university teaching experience, combined with more than six years of service at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), fulfilled the prescribed eligibility requirements.

On the other hand, counsel for the original petitioner, M. Nath, submitted that the Ministry of Education had no documents, other than the minutes of the Search Committee meeting, explaining how doubts regarding Prof. Pant’s eligibility had been resolved. When the Search Committee minutes were produced before the court, it emerged that 31 candidates had initially been shortlisted for interviews, including Prof. Pant, whose candidature was subject to confirmation of his eligibility. Subsequently, his name was included in the final shortlist of five candidates and, following vigilance clearance, he was recommended for appointment.

The Division Bench observed that the absence of a specific explanation in the minutes regarding the resolution of doubts over eligibility did not necessarily establish that Prof. Pant lacked the requisite qualifications. The court indicated that the matter required detailed examination and adjudication. Senior advocates K. N. Choudhury and P. P. Medhi appeared for Prof. Pant, while senior advocates M. Nath, D. J. Kapil and Kaushik Jain represented the other side. S. C. Kejriwal appeared on behalf of Assam University, while the UGC was represented by its Standing Counsel, Dr. A. Chamua.