Summary
The government had earlier made it clear to JU that it could not convene meetings of any decision-making body in the absence of a regular (full-term) VC
The state education department has granted Jadavpur University permission with certain riders to hold only the annual convocation, not the special convocation that is usually held on the same day.
JU registrar Snehamanju Bose had written to education minister Bratya Basu on December 8 requesting permission to convene a meeting of the executive council, the highest decision-making body of the university, to discuss issues related to the 66th annual convocation and the special convocation.
In the special convocation, honorary DLitt and DSc degrees are conferred on distinguished persons.
The education department’s letter of approval, issued on Thursday, says
JU’s executive council and court can only meet to discuss the annual convocation,
where degree certificates are awarded to graduating students.
The letter says: “I am directed to convey approval of this development for holding the executive council meeting of Jadavpur University followed by meeting of the University Court towards convening the annual convocation as per Rule 3(5) of West Bengal State University (Terms and Conditions of the Service of the Vice-Chancellor and the Manner and Procedure of Official Communication) Rules 2019.”
The rule says a person holding charge of the office of vice-chancellor will not hold any meeting of the senate/court/governing board or
the syndicate/executive
council of a university without the state government’s consent.
JU does not have a full-term vice-chancellor. It is being helmed by Buddhadeb Sau, a professor at the university who has been entrusted by the governor, in his capacity as chancellor of JU, to discharge the duties of VC.
The letter from the education department also says: “The meeting of the court and executive council should only discuss matters related to the convocation. Jadavpur University will strictly adhere to the agenda for which permission is accorded from the
Competent Authority of the Higher Education Department as per provision of the extant rules.”
The letter also says that the decisions to be taken by the council and the court will have to be ratified by the regular VC “in terms of Rule 3(6) of the West Bengal State University… whenever such regular VC is appointed”.
The government had earlier made it clear to JU that it could not convene meetings of any decision-making body in the absence of a regular (full-term) VC.
On Friday, officiating VC Sau, who has been steering JU since August 20, called a meeting of the executive council on December 18.
“We have written to the chancellor so that he gives a date for the court meeting,” Sau told Metro. The chancellor is the chairman of the court.
The state government’s nominee to the executive council, Manojit Mandal, said: “The state government has granted the permission in an extraordinary situation only for the sake of students.
There are instances when the special convocation was not held and only the annual convocation was held. The special convocation can be held
when the university gets a full-term VC.”
A meeting on November 3 in the VC’s office had proposed that DLitt (honoris causa) be conferred on Sonal Mansingh, Nivedita Raghunath Bhide and Bibek Debroy, and DSc (honoris causa) be awarded to Kopillil Radhakrishnan, Samir Venkatpathy Kamat and Ajay Mathur.
The decisions have yet to be ratified by the executive council and the court.
Last updated on 16 Dec 2023
