HC division bench upholds Rs 1 lakh fine on VBU V-C for notice over childcare leave

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday upheld a single bench verdict of imposing Rs 1 lakh fine on Visva-Bharati University Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty for issuing a notice against a professor for sanctioning childcare leave to a subordinate.

The division bench was headed by Justice Subrata Talukdar. In 2021, Prof Devtosh Sinha had approved the leave to an assistant professor as per the university rules, it was claimed. The next year, VC Chakraborty sent a notice to Prof Sinha seeking explanation as to why he approved the grant of leave. Prof Sinha had challenged the move in the court.

Sinha’s lawyer Subir Sanyal told the single bench comprising Justice Kaushik Chanda that Sinha the childcare leave was sanctioned according to the VBU rules.

Justice Chanda set aside the notice and fined the university authorities Rs 1 lakh, asking the V-C to deposit the penalty amount. The court had also ordered to cancel the notice issued to Sinha.

The V-C had then challenged the single bench’s decision before the division bench.