JU VC writes to min, guv to convene EC to resolve deadlock
Times of India | 7 August 2026
Kolkata: Jadavpur University VC Chiranjib Bhattacharjee has written to higher education minister and the dept on the urgent need to convene the executive council (EC) meeting to clear key academic and administrative backlogs and prevent a deadlock-like situation at the institution.
He also wrote a letter to governor-chancellor R N Ravi seeking “authoritative guidance” to clear the impasse as he is in a state of “uncertainty” following “advice from higher education dept officials not to convene EC”.
JU last conducted EC meeting on April 4. Prompted by protest from JUTA, the VC decided to hold the EC on Aug 6 and deferred it.
“I wrote to the higher education minister and dept on the need to convene an EC meeting, else the university is facing a deadlock that threatens to derail PG admission, research programmes and daily campus operations. Following the NEP, we implemented the four-year UG programme in 2023, hence no BA or BSc batch will graduate in 2026 and no PG admission will take place this year. This needs to be noted in the EC. For the smooth rollout of the one-year MA and MSc programmes from next year, we need immediate EC ratification,” he said.
According to him, the recent PhD regulations say that RET can no longer be administered. “So, we need to amend our PhD regulations which need EC approval. The crucial faculty promotions are stuck in limbo, reconstitution of various statutory bodies, internal complaints committees are pending which is stalling daily functioning.” He added that the EC meeting has been stalled because of the absence of a higher education council nominee.
JUTA president Partha Pratim Ray said, “We held a demonstration on Thursday but withdrew the stir after VC’s pro-active steps to convene the meeting.”