Jadavpur University and Calcutta University have written to the state education department saying they want to hold meetings of their top decision-making bodies.
The two universities were last week told by the department that they could not hold such meetings in the absence of a full-term vice-chancellor.
JU registrar Snehamanju Basu has sought permission for a meeting of its executive council on November 24 to finalise the university’s annual budget and select the names of the persons who will be awarded honorary degrees during the convocation scheduled for December 24.
CU registrar Debasish Das has written to the education department seeking permission to hold a meeting of the syndicate as several administrative decisions are on hold.
The department had on November 4 prevented JU from convening a meeting of its executive council saying the university could not do so in the absence of a “regular (full-term) vice-chancellor”.
The department said holding any meeting in the absence of a regular VC would “violate” rules the government had introduced in December 2019.
Citing the same reason, the government had asked Calcutta University not to go ahead with its planned meeting of the syndicate, which had been scheduled for November 7.
Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who is ex-officio chancellor of CU, JU and all other state-aided universities, has entrusted professors from the respective institutions with the responsibility of performing the duties of vice-chancellor, allegedly without consulting the education department.
Buddhadeb Sau, officiating VC of JU, told The Telegraph: “Our registrar has informed the education department that we would like to hold a meeting of the executive council on November 24 to finalise the names of the honorary degree recipients at our special convocation.... We also have to finalise the budget.”
At JU, the annual convocation and the special convocation are held on the same day.
The West Bengal State University (Terms and Conditions of the Service of the Vice-Chancellor and the Manner and Procedure of Official Communication) Rules 2019 say: “Notwithstanding anything contained in any Statutes, Ordinances, Regulations, rules, customs or usages to the contrary for the time being in force, the meeting of the Senate/Court or the Syndicate/Executive Council or the Governing Board or of any other Bodies or authorities of the University, as the case may be, shall be convened by the Vice Chancellor with an intimation to the Department….”
Das, Calcutta University registrar, said: “We have written to the education department seeking permission to call a meeting of the syndicate... We have explained to the department that if the syndicate could not meet, there would be a deadlock inthe functioning of the university.”