Jadavpur University’s dean of arts is under the scanner over irregularities in the accounts of a research grant by a foreign agency.

When questioned about the missing Rs 85,000, Biswajit Chattopadhyay, who teaches economics, told the authorities that he had taken the amount as his honorarium for being the principal investigator in the research project funded by the grant, said a source.

The university’s working committee found Chattopadhyay’s explanation unsatisfactory. “There are irregularities in the accounts submitted by Chattopadhyay. The working committee is not happy with the reasons he cited. We have asked the vice-chancellor to decide what action can be taken against him,” said a member of the committee.

Vice-chancellor P.N. Ghosh said he was yet to receive the committee’s report.

Registrar Pradip Kumar Ghosh said he was aware of the working committee’s finding on Chattopadhyay but the issue was “nothing serious”.

“I have no idea about the working committee’s decision,” Chattopadhyay told Metro, refusing to elaborate.

Members of the working committee confirmed that they had discussed the matter in detail in Chattopadhyay’s presence in two consecutive meetings recently.

They had questioned whether the dean was eligible to pay himself Rs 85,000 as honorarium. “The funding agency’s guidelines do not state whether a full-time teacher can pay himself such a huge honorarium in addition to drawing his salary. Chattopadhyay should have checked with the agency before taking the amount,” said a panel member.

Some university teachers said they had urged the vice-chancellor to ask Chattopadhyay to return Rs 85,000 or deduct the amount from his salary.

The agency, which operates in Asia and Europe, had offered several lakhs as grant to the university for research on community credit system under Chattopadhyay’s supervision, said the source.