Authority: Hon'ble Mr. Justice A. Guneswar Sharma
Order Date: 08.07.2026
Case Overview
- Petitioner: RK Hemakumar Singh, 2nd seniormost Professor, Manipur University.
- Respondents: Manipur University; Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education, Government of India; University Grants Commission.
- Petition filed on 25.06.2026 seeking to be called for personal interaction/interview scheduled on 01‑07‑2026 and 02‑07‑2026 by the Selection Committee for appointment of Vice‑Chancellor.
- Advertisement (Annexure‑A/8) required minimum 10 years academic or research/administrative experience and age not exceeding 65 years as on closing date.
- Total of 377 candidates applied, including petitioner.
- First stage of selection held on 11‑12 May 2026, where detailed applications, bio‑data and credentials were examined for eligibility.
- Selection Committee unanimously shortlisted a list of candidates for the second‑stage personal interaction; petitioner’s name was not included.
- Committee submitted a statement dated 02.07.2026 to the Secretary, Department of Higher Education, summarising the procedure and non‑shortlisting of petitioner.
- The statement was placed in a sealed envelope and forwarded to the Court on 06.07.2026; the envelope was opened on Court’s direction.
Final Outcome
- The Court observed that, since the petitioner was not shortlisted, the substantive prayer became infructuous and no direction can be issued to consider his name.
- WP(C) No. 492 of 2026 and MC(WP(C)) No. 509 of 2026 are disposed of as infructuous.
- The petitioner is granted liberty to approach the Selection Committee or any other authority for inquiry into the reason for his non‑shortlisting.
- The sealed envelope is returned to the learned DSGI.
Topics: VC Appointment, Selection Process