The state higher education department prevented Jadavpur University from holding the meeting of its executive council on Saturday on the grounds that the university did not have a “regular (full-term) vice-chancellor”.
The department said holding any meeting in the absence of a regular VC would “violate” rules.
The university had convened an online meeting of its highest decision-making body at 5pm on Saturday.
An order signed by an assistant secretary of the higher education department, sent to JU registrar Snehamnaju Basu late on Friday, said: “It is learnt that the 36th meeting of the 10th executive council is scheduled to be held on 04/11/2023. This is not amiss to mention that there is no regular vice-chancellor appointed in the Jadavpur University. Prof. Buddhadeb Sau has been authorized to perform the duties of a vice-chancellor.
“Under such circumstances, since there is no regular vice-chancellor, the aforesaid meeting will be in violation of 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, if done without the approval of the State Government. No such approval has been issued from this end.”
Minutes before the meeting, JU registrar Basu intimated council members: “This is to inform you that due to some emergent unavoidable circumstances, the EC meeting scheduled to be held today, November 4, Saturday, has been postponed till further notice.”
The rules, which were enacted in December 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 and the Department may intimate the same wherever necessary to the Chancellor for record.”
An official of the department said they do not deem Buddhadeb Sau, who was handpicked by governor C.V. Ananda Bose in August to perform the duties of a VC, as a regular VC.
The governor, in his capacity as chancellor of state-aided universities, entrusted Sau, a JU professor of mathematics, with the responsibility of performing the duties of a VC.
Since being appointed, Sau has conducted at least three meetings of the council.
Asked why the department did not prevent the university from holding council meetings on those occasions, a senior official said: “Earlier, we were not intimated about the council meeting. This time, we received an intimation and so the department’s stand was communicated.”
Earlier in the day, Buddhadeb Sau said since he is performing the duties of a VC he should be considered an “interim VC” and the rules did not bar an interim VC from chairing a council meeting.
“Saturday’s meeting was called to approve the university’s budget. I don’t know how an interim VC could be prevented from chairing a meeting...,” he told The Telegraph at 12-42pm.
A JU official said Sau later held meetings with other council members and officials and then decided to postpone the meeting.
Manojit Mandal, a JU professor who is the state government’s nominee to the council, wrote to the registrar: “...such EC meeting must be held with prior permission of the government. I request you further not to call any such EC meeting online.”