JU convocation did not have any legal sanctity: Bengal Governor

Kolkata : West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, on Tuesday evening, told media persons that the convocation held by Kolkata’s iconic Jadavpur University (JU) on Sunday did not have any legal sanctity.

“The convocation ceremony did not have any legal sanctity. It was totally illegal,” the Governor told media persons on Tuesday evening.

Admitting that there might be some problems relating to the certificates distributed to the students at the convocation, since they contained the signature of the university’s interim vice-chancellor Buddhadeb Sau who was removed by the Governor earlier, Bose assured that he would make all efforts to ensure that the students do not face any problem with regard to the legal sanctity of the certificates.

Sau was removed as the interim vice- chancellor of JU by the Governor, who had himself appointed him, on Saturday evening barely 12-hours before the convocation ceremony of the institute on Sunday morning. However, he was reinstated on Sunday morning by the state education department with an argument that it was done to give the convocation ceremony a smooth passage.

“There is confusion in the minds of the students with regard to the certificates they received. I am consulting legal experts to ensure that legal complications with regard to such certificates do not arise,” the Governor said.

He also gave his explanation as to why the convocation ceremony of JU was illegal, especially when there is precedence of other state universities in West Bengal conducting convocation ceremonies presided over by the interim vice-chancellors there.

“There have been similar cases in certain other state universities with interim vice-chancellors at the helm. There were no legal hassles there. But in the case of JU there were allegations of the interim vice- chancellor being influenced by some outside forces, which is not at all desirable. That is why the decision was taken to remove him from that chair,” the Governor said.