Govt alleges deadlock as guv sitting on names for Jadavpur University VC appointment
Telegraph | 31 March 2025
The higher education department will mention before the Supreme Court on April 2 that the Bengal governor has created a deadlock at Jadavpur University by removing an authorised vice-chancellor four days before his retirement and not appointing a full-term VC despite having a panel of names drawn by the court-appointed search committee, said a department official.
In a communication to the deposed JU VC Bhaskar Gupta on Saturday evening, governor C.V. Ananda Bose wrote that Gupta “deliberately violated mandatory provisions” of the Jadavpur University Act by going ahead with the annual convocation on December 24, 2024, “knowing fully well that such action is highly irregular, illegal, indisciplined and amounts to insubordination”.
“You are aware that issue of degree/ certificates arising out of an illegally convened convocation is ab-initio null and void and will jeopardise the future of the students. Under the circumstances, it is imperative to recover the university fund unauthorisedly expended by you for the conduct of illegal convocation,” the communication addressed to the JU registrar said.
Gupta told The Telegraph: “I don’t find any substance in the allegations. I don’t know what should I comment on this.”
A case on the appointment of full-term VCs in state-aided universities like Jadavpur is likely to be heard by the Supreme Court on April 2.
“A file with a panel of three names drawn up by the search committee and set in order of preference by the chief minister... was sent to the governor, the ex-officio chancellor of the state-aided universities, in November 2024. He was supposed to sign on a name from the panel... But instead, he sacked the authorised VC... triggering a crisis. When the case comes up for hearing on Wednesday, this will be mentioned,” the official said.
The chancellor “should have appointed” a full-term VC by now, considering that he was aware the incumbent was due to retire on March 31, the official said.
“After Gupta informed us about his imminent superannuation, the department passed on the information to Raj Bhavan and reminded the chancellor’s office that it was time a full-term VC was appointed at JU.... Gupta’s name features at the top of the panel of names set in order of preference by the chief minister, and the chancellor was to sign on the name,” the official said.
“But instead of doing that, the chancellor had the authorised VC removed on March 27 without citing any reason.”
A full-term VC can hold office till 70.
A Raj Bhavan official said the process of appointing a full-term VC at JU was on. “The chancellor is at it,” he said.
However, he did not specify when the full-term VC would be appointed at JU.