Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has quashed Rajive Mohan Pant’s appointment as Vice-Chancellor of Assam University, ruling that he did not meet the eligibility criteria prescribed under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018. The court has directed the authorities to appoint an eligible interim Vice-Chancellor and complete a fresh selection process within four months.

The court also protected the salary and allowances Pant had already received during his tenure.

Reacting to the verdict, Assam University Registrar Pradosh Kiran Nath reportedly said that the university would await a certified copy of the order and directions from the Union Ministry of Education before deciding its next course of action.

Nath said the university is not the appointing authority and would require guidance from the ministry on implementing the judgment. He explained that the ministry recommends the appointment, which is formally made by the President of India as the Visitor of the university.

According to Nath, the university learnt about the verdict through WhatsApp and social media and would seek an early direction from the ministry after receiving the certified copy. He added that the university would consult senior professors and seek legal advice before deciding on its next steps.

Nath also said the ministry or Pant could consider challenging the verdict before a higher court.

Court rejects combining two periods of service

The judgement was delivered by Justice N Unni Krishnan Nair in response to a writ petition, WP(C)/7283/2025, filed by Samira Behera, a Professor of Mathematics and former head of department at Assam University. Behera had challenged Pant’s eligibility for the post.

At the centre of the dispute was Regulation 7.3(i) of the UGC Regulations, 2018, which requires candidates for the Vice-Chancellor’s post to have at least 10 years of experience as a Professor in a university or in a senior academic administrative position at a reputed research or academic institution.

According to records examined by the court, Pant had served for less than seven years as a Professor at the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) in Arunachal Pradesh and for approximately six and a half years as Director of the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) in Guwahati.

Neither period independently met the prescribed 10-year requirement.

Pant’s side argued that he retained his lien on the professorial post at NERIST while serving as NIRD Director, allowing the two periods to be combined to satisfy the eligibility criteria.

The High Court rejected the argument, relying on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Prof Narendra Singh Bhandari vs Ravindra Jugran. It held that the two eligibility routes were mutually exclusive and could not be combined to meet the prescribed requirement.

The court also clarified that retaining a lien on a professorial post did not amount to continuous service as a Professor.

Court flags lapses in selection process

The High Court also identified procedural lapses in the selection process. It noted that concerns about Pant’s eligibility had been raised but were neither resolved nor recorded in the final minutes of the Search-cum-Selection Committee.

The court further found that the absence of mandatory written assessments of candidates’ credentials violated Regulation 7.3(ii) of the UGC framework.

On these grounds, the court set aside Pant’s appointment order dated January 14, 2022, and directed the authorities to appoint an eligible interim Vice-Chancellor and complete a fresh selection process within four months.

The judgement, however, protected the salary and allowances Pant had already received during his tenure.