The higher education department has written to the Bengal governor, the chancellor of state-aided universities, that the state government had the authority “to make communication with the state-aided universities”.
The letter was in response to a communication from the chancellor that C.V. Ananda Bose sent to the universities last week saying that “it is reported by the heads of the universities that they are receiving unauthorised instructions from different sources, particularly from the department of higher education”.
The letter sent by the department says: “The relevant Legislation which makes provision for appointment of the Chancellor do also confer authority upon the Government of West Bengal in Higher Education Department to make communication with the State aided Universities in discharge of its statutory obligations.”
“It is worthwhile to mention that the State-aided Universities receive financial assistance from the state exchequer and the West Bengal University (Control of Expenditure) Act, 1976, confers authority to monitor as to how the said fund is being utilised. The Higher Education Department has authority to issue direction to any of the Colleges or Universities under section 18 of the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulation) Act, 2017…..”.
A copy of the department’s communication addressed to the chancellor has also been forwarded to the universities.
The chancellor’s office wrote to the universities on December 5, the day the education department clarified that Buddhadeb Sau, who was ordered by the governor on December 23 to cease functioning as officiating vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University, may continue to perform the duties of VC.
Sau was removed because he dared to go ahead with the annual convocation on December 24 disregarding the chancellor’s order.
The department has written to the chancellor: “In the Statutes of the University…. it is clearly laid down that the University shall organize a convocation invariably on 24th December of each year. This statutory direction not only involves University’s past glory, tradition and prestige but also the sentiment and emotion of the students and academicians at large”.