Varanasi: After a gap of three years, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Wednesday got its eight-member executive council.President Droupadi Murmu, in her capacity as the visitor of BHU, nominated former union minister Mahendra Nath Pandey, Varanasi mayor Ashok Tiwari, social worker Dilip Patel, Delhi University vice chancellor Prof Yogesh Singh, BHU sociology department’s Prof Om Prakash Bhartiya and Prof Shweta Prasad, and retired professors Bechan (Zoology BHU) and Uday Pratap Shahi (radiotherapy & radiation medicine, BHU), as members of the key administrative body responsible for various academic and administrative decisions.The executive council plays a vital role in the university’s functioning, including appointments, financial projects, and overall governance. In fact, it is the highest decision-making body within BHU, responsible for approving new academic programmes, financial proposals, and appointments of faculty and staff. While the executive council of the varsity was not in existence for over three years, the last full-fledged BHU VC Prof Sudhir Jain, who completed his three-year tenure in Jan last, kept invoking emergency authority to ensure the university’s unimpeded functioning. Jain, in his interview with TOI in Oct 2024, mentioned, “I persistently pressed the matter for constituting EC, raising it at every opportunity. Subsequently, I dispatched a correspondence stating that during my predecessor’s tenure, numerous faculty members’ promotion documents were contained within a sealed envelope. I implored the govt to grant me permission to unseal these envelopes, enabling me to bestow upon them their well-deserved promotion letters.” The process of constituting the EC involves the selection and appointment of members. The council includes members from various academic and administrative backgrounds, ensuring diverse perspectives in decision-making.Since the departure of Jain, the varsity has been run by acting VC Prof Sanjay Kumar. Following the death of Justice Giridhar Malviya on Nov 18 last year, the position of BHU chancellor is also lying vacant.
