JU convocation followed all due procedures to hold the event on December 24: Ex-VC
Telegraph | 1 April 2025
Jadavpur University’s deposed vice-chancellor Bhaskar Gupta said on Sunday it was not clear to him why the governor accused him of holding an illegal convocation when JU followed all the due procedures to hold the event on December 24 last year.
Gupta, who the governor, the ex-officio chancellor of the state-aided universities, sacked on Friday from his position as authorised VC, had presided over the convocation.
“It was not clear to me why the chancellor accused me of holding an illegal event last year when all the due procedure to hold the ceremony was followed. As the authorised VC, I had written to the chancellor on October 1, 2024, seeking his appointment to discuss the convocation, to be held on December 24. But he did not respond. Had he responded, the university could have called the court and executive council meetings well in advance,” Gupta told Metro.
“Then I went to Raj Bhavan on December 20 and explained to the chancellor that the preparations for the convocation had started after the executive council meeting on October 27,” he said.
Later, following the state government’s permission, JU held the convocation on December 24 — where degree certificates were awarded to 519 students in arts, 1,017 students in engineering and technology, and 108 students in science — ignoring the chancellor, who, on the morning of the convocation, had asked Gupta to go on leave.
At the convocation, Gupta had said JU could not award a DSc (Acquired) degree to a former chemistry teacher, Nitin Chattopadhyay, because the chancellor did not sign the file.
“He did the same in the convocation held in 2023 as well. This is against the interest of the university and the degree recipients,” Gupta said on Sunday.
Governor C.V Ananda Bose could not be contacted, his number was switched off, and an email sent to him went unanswered till late on Sunday.
In a communication to the deposed JU VC on Saturday evening, the governor 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”.
“Under the circumstances, it is imperative to recover the university fund unauthorisedly expended by you for the conduct of illegal convocation,” it said.
A JU official said, “Since the chancellor has removed Gupta, how could he seek a response from him about the convocation?”
Education minister Bratya Basu told reporters on Sunday: “It was baffling that the chancellor was seeking explanation from someone about the convocation whom he had sacked from the position of authorised VC on Friday. All I will say is ‘Get well soon’.”