Following objections by the West Bengal government, Jadavpur University has called off an Executive Council (EC) meeting to discuss key issues such as the Annual Convocation to be held in December and the varsity budget for the second time in a month.
The meeting was scheduled to be held on Friday. The earlier meeting of the EC, the highest decision-making body of the university, could not take place on November 4 on similar grounds.
In a letter to JU Registrar Snehamanju Basu, a senior higher education department official said that in the absence of any regular VC, Prof Buddhadeb Sau has been authorised to perform the duties of vice-chancellor.
But holding an EC meeting, if done without the approval of the state government, will be violative of the rules, the letter said.
“No such approval has been issued by the state government,” the letter said. JU Registrar Snehamanju Basu told PTI: “Today’s EC meeting could not be held. I have nothing else to comment on the matter.”
The All Bengal University Teachers’ Association (ABUTA) expressed concern over the development, saying cancellation of the meeting might cause uncertainties in holding the convocation, awarding degrees to students, disbursing salary of staff and other budgetary allocations.
“We demand immediate revocation of the state notice which is undemocratic and anti-student,” ABUTA’s JU Convener Debabrata Bera said. Education Minister Bratya Basu had earlier said the officiating VC cannot convene this meeting as his appointment by Governor C V Ananda Bose has not been ratified by the higher education department.
The matter of the appointment of VCs of several state universities by the governor unilaterally is pending before the Supreme Court.
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