Jadavpur University’s officiating vice-chancellor, who is continuing in office with the state government’s sanction after the governor ordered his removal, said on Tuesday that it was not clear to him why the governor has decided to move the high court challenging the university’s decision to hold the annual convocation.
Buddhadeb Sau, the officiating VC, also referred to the fact that the governor had not objected to the convocation at Kalyani and Vidyasagar universities.
He said he could not “understand why the VC of a state-aided university won’t listen to the suggestions of the state government on issues like the convocation”.
A Raj Bhavan official said on Monday that the government’s greenlight to the convocation overriding the chancellor’s authority was one of the reasons why the governor, who is also chancellor of JU and other state-aided universities, decided to move court.
The VC also challenged the governor’s contention that Sunday’s meeting of JU’s court, which decided to hold the convocation the same day, was not a legally convened meeting.
“The act governing the university says the registrar convenes the court meeting following the VC’s order. The chancellor does not convene the meeting. The chancellor attends the meeting as the court’s chairman,” said Sau. “Everything was done according to the act.”
Governor C.V. Ananda Bose told reporters at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday: “My priority is the future of students. The convocation is unlawful and unauthorised. There is a serious charge and apprehension, raised by the students and parents. I am getting an expert legal opinion about that. My intention is somehow to see that students are safe from this impasse.
“How to legitimise an unauthorised convocation is a big problem for me. I will try to find a legally acceptable solution. Lawlessness on the campuses will not be allowed.”
The university held its annual convocation on Sunday, but the VC, who was on the dais, did not award the degree certificates.
Sau delegated the authority of awarding degree certificates to pro-VC Amitabha Datta.
Bose had said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that he was seeking legal opinion on whether he could grant “post facto approval” to the convocation because otherwise, the degrees awarded to the students would become invalid.
On Monday, he decided to move court against the “unlawful and unauthorised convocation”.
“The chancellor had on December 19 told JU to keep the convocation... in abeyance because of an ongoing legal battle over who has the authority to appoint officiating VCs. But he did not object to the convocation at Kalyani and Vidyasagar universities, which are also helmed by officiating VCs. Then why the same logic was not applied to JU?” Sau told The Telegraph.
“On Saturday afternoon, I had written to the chancellor inviting him to attend the convocation. But in the evening I was removed because the university decided to hold the convocation,” Sau said.
The VC said they approached the state government on Saturday night, hours after the governor had ordered his removal as officiating VC, on what to do about the convocation because the future of the degree recipients was at stake.
The higher education department had written to the JU registrar late on Saturday: “After considering the fact that the Institution will become headless and in the present situation within this short span of time no other alternative is visible, and there is no specific guideline available in this matter, and also keeping in mind the orders and observation made by the Hon’ble Supreme Court as aforesaid, the present authorised vice-chancellor may continue to exercise and perform the duties and let the convocation be held as scheduled on December 24, 2023.”
Sau said on Tuesday: “I think as officiating VC of a state-aided university, I should listen to the advice of the state government, especially during an exigency.”
Will he continue as the officiating VC despite the chancellor’s decision?
He said: “The university’s court has recognised me as vice-chancellor. The court resolved that I assign the responsibility of awarding degrees to the pro-VC in my capacity as VC.”