West Bengal University Bill 2026: Academics urge Governor to 'withhold consent'

KOLKATA: A group of senior academics from West Bengal and other parts of India has urged the West Bengal Governor to refrain from giving his consent to the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, saying the proposed inter-university transfer of academic and non-academic staff could affect teaching, research and institutional autonomy.

In a letter to the Governor, the academics said the Amendment Bill, passed by the West Bengal Assembly on September 10, 2026, would allow the transfer of academic and non-academic staff between state universities. They raised both academic and procedural concerns over the proposed changes.

The letter comes days after university teachers and associations in West Bengal announced a protest plan against the bill. The teachers had demanded its withdrawal, recruitment against vacant posts and protection of academic and research autonomy. They had also warned of a signature campaign and statewide protests involving teachers, non-teaching staff, research scholars and students.

Also read ‘Politics minus education’: Why West Bengal colleges are wary of govt-appointed governing body presidents

Academics raise concerns over faculty transfers

The academics said each university has its own structure, academic programmes and areas of specialisation, with faculty appointments made according to these requirements. They argued that moving teachers from one university to another could disturb the academic balance of both institutions and affect teaching and research programmes.

They also said faculty transfers could affect research students, particularly where specialised faculty, laboratories and libraries have been developed around specific research areas.

“If those faculty members are transferred, young research students would be left without resort,” the academics said in the letter, adding that material resources could remain unused or underused while the transferred faculty could be underemployed at another institution.

Research funding concerns

The letter also highlighted the possible impact on externally funded research projects. The academics said major research funding is generally linked to the availability of expert faculty members as principal investigators.

They argued that transferring such faculty could particularly affect interdisciplinary and multi-institutional projects and disrupt established research centres in older universities.

The academics further pointed to existing vacancies in universities, saying that hundreds of posts are already vacant in older institutions. They said transferring existing faculty at this stage could further reduce their available academic resources.

Also read West Bengal making NET, GATE, CEED exams must for PhD admissions throws its universities into confusion

Academics seek recruitment for new universities

The signatories said they supported the development of newer universities but argued that this should be achieved through planned recruitment and adequate funding rather than transferring faculty from existing institutions.

According to the letter, several new universities lack sufficient staff, infrastructure and facilities, with some having no full-time teachers. The academics called for extensive recruitment of permanent staff at all levels to address these shortages.

Letter raises academic autonomy concerns

A major concern raised in the letter is the possible impact of the proposed changes on university autonomy. The academics said the move could result in greater centralised administrative control over universities.

“Any such move would spell the end of academic autonomy,” they said, arguing that universities should be able to develop according to their individual academic requirements.

The signatories also raised concerns about differences in employment conditions across universities and questioned whether faculty appointed to non-transferable posts could be subjected to a major change in their terms of employment. However, they said their primary concern was the potential academic impact of the proposed changes.

Also read India added 196 public universities in 15 years, but most barely functional; private ones outnumber them

Academics appeal to Governor

Concluding the letter, the academics said the proposed changes, if implemented, could adversely affect older and established universities without providing a corresponding benefit to newer institutions.

“In short, it is our strong opinion that this change, if implemented, would severely affect the functioning of the older and more established universities without material benefit to the new ones,” they said.

They appealed to the governor to consider their concerns and refrain from giving his consent to the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 .

The letter has been signed by senior academics including Amita Chatterjee, Amitava Raychaudhuri, Anup Sinha, Anupam Basu, Ashok Ranjan Thakur, Partha Chatterjee, Partha P. Majumdar, Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Samaresh Bhattacharya, Sobhanlal Datta Gupta, Siddhartha Datta, Sukanta Chaudhuri and Supriya Chaudhuri.