CU likely to get permanent V-C by Aug 28: Bratya Basu

Kolkata: State Education minister Bratya Basu on Thursday expressed optimism that Calcutta University (CU) would have a permanent vice-chancellor (V-C) in place before August 28, in line with a Supreme Court directive that no caretaker V-C can continue beyond that date.

“The apex court has made it clear that a new vice-chancellor must be appointed by August 28. I hope Justice U U Lalit will finalise the appointments by then,” Basu said.

His comments come amid a controversy over CU’s decision to conduct its fourth-semester Commerce and BA LLB examinations on August 28, the same day the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) will hold its foundation day celebrations in central Kolkata. Despite a written request from the state Higher Education department to postpone the exams, the CU syndicate decided to stick to the schedule. Political tensions escalated after BJP leader Shankudeb Panda alleged that former Education minister Partha Chatterjee, jailed in the teachers’ recruitment scam, was influencing the choice of CU’s next V-C from prison, pushing for his former associate Ashutosh Ghosh. Basu dismissed the claim, saying: “I also like watching suspense detective thrillers on OTT platforms, but I don’t trust them.”

The minister also voiced concern over delays in releasing the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) results due to a court case on OBC reservation. “The Supreme Court had passed an order and we were about to publish the results accordingly. But the Calcutta High Court took up a suo motu case based on emails from some students. We have now approached the Supreme Court. We are concerned there is hyperactivity aimed at stalling the admission process despite the SC’s directive,” he said.

WBJEE Board chairperson Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee said results would be announced once the Higher Education department cleared them. Basu further used social media to flag complaints that Burdwan University had stopped disbursing Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means (SVMCM) scholarships. He said the issue, caused by ‘authorised’ vice-chancellors appointed by the Chancellor halting payments without explanation, had been resolved by the current V-C appointed on the Chief Minister’s recommendation.