The higher education department has permitted Jadavpur University to hold a meeting of its executive council on December 17 to complete the formalities for the annual convocation to be held on December 24.

The council is the highest decision-making body of JU.

An official of the state education department said though they had asked state-aided universities not to hold meetings of their highest decision-making bodies in the absence of full-term vice-chancellors, they allowed JU to hold its council meeting as it “involved students’ interests”.

JU is now helmed by an interim vice-chancellor.

Degrees will be awarded to students at the JU convocation.

The university had written to the department seeking permission to hold the council meeting.

The department last week disallowed Rabindra Bharati University to hold a meeting of the university’s council on the grounds that the items on the agenda did not have anything to do with the interests of the students.

JU’s council meeting will be followed by a meeting of the university’s court.

An official of the education department said: “The university awards degrees to students on the day of the annual convocation. The interest of students is involved. The interest of students will be harmed if they don’t receive their degrees on time.”

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 says a person holding charge of the office of the vice-chancellor will not hold any meeting of the senate/court/syndicate/ executive council of a university without the state government’s consent.

A copy of the rules had been circulated to state-aided universities.

“The interim VC only holds charge of the office of the vice-chancellor,” an official of the department said.

The governor in his capacity as chancellor of all state-aided universities has now started appointing full-term VCs from a list drawn up by a Supreme Court-appointed search committee and set in order of preference by the chief minister.

Ten universities have got full-term VCs so far. But JU is yet to get one.