The vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University met the Bengal governor on Friday and explained to him that the university held the meeting of its executive council sufficiently in advance to hold the convocation.

VC Bhaskar Gupta met governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who is also the chancellor of the university, a day after the latter sought an explanation from the VC about why the university did not convene the executive council meeting sufficiently in advance with the convocation scheduled for December 24.

The executive meeting of JU was held on December 17.

The chancellor wondered how the preparations for the convocation, usually held on December 24, could be made on such short notice, said a JU official.

A JU official said that VC explained to the chancellor that they started preparing for the convocation date at an executive council meeting held on October 27.

The council meeting was held again on December 17 following approval from the state government to finalise the number of degree certificate recipients which is a mere formality, the chancellor was told.

JU sought approval from the state government as the higher education department, through an advisory, has told the state-aided universities helmed by the officiating VCs that they would have to seek permission to hold any meeting of the syndicate, executive council or any other body.

JU has an officiating VC.

A JU official said it was also explained to the chancellor that the university has time and again written to the chancellor’s office, seeking his permission to hold the meeting of the university’s court to discuss the convocation on December 24.

“The chancellor wrote to the VC on Thursday that the university did not seek the approval of the chancellor for the date of the convocation. But through communications on our end, we have repeatedly sought his permission to hold the convocation by conducting a meeting of the court which is presided over by the chancellor,” the official said.

“That permission has not come as yet,” he said.

JU vice-chancellor was accompanied by the pro-vice chancellor Amitava Datta
and acting registrar Indrajit Banerjee.

None of them responded to the calls and text messages from Metro.

A JU official said the chancellor was told that the university has to hold the convocation as the degree certificates are awarded to the graduating students on the occasion of the annual convocation and several students come to receive their degree certificates from other states.

Partha Pratim Roy, the secretary of the university’s teachers’ association, said: “We want students to get their degrees at the convocation”.

Earlier in the day the governor attended an event at Calcutta University.

When asked about the JU issue, the chancellor said: “The interests of the students would have to be protected. That is my worry. Degrees that are awarded to the students should not be declared invalid. I am trying to sort it out. Let me see”.