The Gauhati High Court has ordered Professor Rajive Mohan Pant to leave his position as Vice-Chancellor of Assam University in Silchar. The judicial order was delivered by Justice N. Unni Krishnan Nair on October 14, 2026, after a petition was filed by Dr. Samira Behera, a Professor of Mathematics at the university, who challenged the validity of Professor Pant's appointment.
The court found that Professor Pant failed to meet the eligibility criteria mandated by Regulation 7.3(i) of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018. This regulation requires a Vice-Chancellor to have at least 10 years of experience as a professor in a university or a comparable period in a reputed research or academic administrative organization. Investigations showed that Professor Pant held about seven years of experience as a professor and six years and seven months as a director. The court rejected arguments that these two categories could be combined or that a lien on a professorial post during his tenure as director counted as sufficient teaching experience.
The court also identified procedural lapses in the original selection process. It noted that the search-cum-selection committee failed to provide mandatory written assessments of candidates credentials as required by Regulation 7.3(ii) and did not document how concerns about Professor Pant's eligibility were addressed. While the court ordered the appointment to be quashed, it clarified that salary and allowances already received by Professor Pant during his tenure will not be recovered. Professor Pant was appointed on January 14, 2022, and took office on January 25, 2022. The court has directed the appointing authority to hand over the charge of Vice-Chancellor to an eligible person at the university and to complete a fresh selection process within four months. Assam University Registrar, Dr. Pradosh Kiran Nath, stated that the institution is awaiting a certified copy of the order and directives from the Union Ministry of Education before deciding its next steps.
