Chandan Basu, the senior-most teacher at Netaji Subhas Open University, has been asked to perform the duties of vice-chancellor in an order issued by the governor, who is ex-officio chancellor of all state universities.
Government sources said the chancellor had acted unilaterally, keeping the higher education department in the dark. Education minister Bratya Basu has alleged the governor is behaving in a manner that is not pragmatic and appropriate.
An order signed by Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and addressed to Basu, the director of the School of Social Sciences and professor of history at the open university, says: “Upon the authority vested in the chancellor by the statute and in deference to the order issued by the Calcutta High Court… Prof. Chandan Basu is authorised to exercise power and perform the duties of the vice-chancellor for Netaji Subhas Open University until further orders.”
Basu took charge at noon on Sunday.
Since the tenure of Ranjan Chakrabarti as interim VC ended on March 14, the open university had been without a VC.
Teachers at the university had on April 10 held a press conference and said their problems were compounded by the fact that the university did not have the post of pro VC.
A pro VC is empowered to run the university in the absence of the VC.
“A university faces a lot of hassles if it does not have a VC,” Basu had said at the press conference.
An official in the higher education department said the chancellor should have consulted the department before issuing the order in regard to the open university. He cited the West Bengal State Universities (Terms and Conditions of Service of the Vice-Chancellor & the Manner and Procedure of Official Communication) Laws, which say the education department has an absolute say in the affairs of a state university.