CU interim VC’s appointment as honorary professor put on hold
Times of India | 1 November 2024
Kolkata: The appointment of Calcutta University interim vice-chancellor Santa Datta as the honorary adjunct professor of the home science department following a Syndicate meeting was put on hold. Datta wrote to the registrar, Debasis Das, on Thursday, asking him to put the decision on hold.
Given the shortage in teaching staff, the CU Syndicate on Tuesday decided to appoint Datta in the home science department and Maitri Dasgupta in the biochemistry department. Datta had retired from the home science department on May 31.
"The home science department is facing an extreme staff crunch at this moment. The appeal came from the department itself," said an official at the university said. Datta's appointment raised questions as she was also the interim VC at CU, said an official. A source said the proposal for Datta's appointment went from the home science HoD to the registrar and was forwarded to the officiating VC. A note was sent, granting the registrar the authority to make the decision. The matter was placed in the Syndicate for the final decision for both home science and biochemistry posts.
Datta told TOI, "The decision was made when I was not in the meeting. I learnt about it the next day. But I wrote to the registrar, asking him to put the decision on hold." CU will seek legal advice.