Preparations were underway at Jadavpur University here for hosting its annual convocation on Sunday, a senior official of the institute said.

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, who is the ex-officio chancellor of the institute, and Education Minister Bratya Basu have been invited to attend the function, the official said.

The convocation, which is held on December 24 every year, was marked by uncertainty after the governor did not accord permission to hold the university's court meeting, which is crucial for hosting the event.

However, citing the Jadavpur University statute, which allows the state university to host the annual event every year on the same date, and the government's recent communiqué which called for holding the function as around 3,000 students are scheduled to get their degrees and certificates, the institution went ahead with the court meeting to discuss the modalities of the 66th convocation.

Registrar Snehamanju Basu told PTI that the university is yet to receive any response from the governor over the invitation to attend the function as the chief guest but the authorities are hopeful that he will come.

"We are making all preparations for the convocation ceremony, scheduling the programmes. The certificates and citations for students and researchers have been readied. Many outstation scholars have arrived in the city to attend the programme," she said.

She said the university has received a favourable response from the higher education department for hosting the event.

Basu said she and officiating Vice Chancellor Buddhadeb Sau have met the state education minister more than once in the last two weeks and were "happy with the way the state government has taken the initiatives for the conduct of the ceremony".

Former JU International Relations Department head and spokesperson of Educationists Forum, Om Prakash Mishra, said that as per the JU statute, the annual convocation date of December 24 cannot be changed and it also specifies that the court of the university, the top-most decision-making body over and above the executive council, can take any decision with regard to the convocation and no consent of the chancellor is required.

Mishra, a former vice chancellor of North Bengal University, added that as the officiating VC of JU, Buddhadeb Sau cannot take the decision of holding executive council or court meetings.

With the state higher education department having given the go-ahead in this regard in view of the exigencies of situation, there cannot be any legal hurdle in holding the convocation, he said.

The executive council meeting of the university held on December 18 discussed the modalities of the convocation and requested the higher education department to grant funds for hosting the event. The court meeting took place on December 21, facilitating the convocation.

While Education Minister Bratya Basu was yet to comment whether he would attend the function, he had earlier posted on X, "The higher education department had given consent to host the convocation on December 24 despite many legal hassles considering the long heritage of the institution and the interest of students, but the hon'ble governor has not given permission to hold the court meeting, which is a must for the convocation, citing legal uncertainties." "However, he (governor) had given permission to hold court meetings of other state universities. Then what is his real objective? To oppose the state government appears to be the sole motive for not protecting the rights of students," the higher education minister had said.

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