A CPM-controlled lobby of teachers on Monday prevented the Jadavpur University authorities from nominating three temporary deans to head the faculty councils and oversee academic activities.

Vice-chancellor P.N. Ghosh had called a meeting on Monday morning to nominate the deans of the three faculties — engineering, science and arts.

He was forced to cancel the meeting as members of Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association insisted that the deans who had been appointed under provisions of the old university act during the rule of the Left Front government should be allowed to function as “caretaker deans”.

Ghosh said the posts of dean had become vacant when the faculty councils were dissolved after the Trinamul Congress government issued the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2011.

“We need to nominate deans temporarily as it will take at least six months to reconstitute the faculty councils. If we keep the posts vacant for such a long time the university’s academic functioning will be hampered,” added Ghosh.

“The vice-chancellor has no right to nominate deans in this way as there is no such provision in the Jadavpur University act,” said a teacher associated with Juta.

The deans are responsible for overseeing the university’s academic activities, including admissions, structuring of syllabus, framing of teacher and research fellow selection procedures, preparing academic calendars and overseeing doctoral programmes.

The Juta members said they would allow the authorities to select the deans only after the faculty councils were reconstituted under the provisions of the amended Jadavpur University act.

They, however, later agreed to allow the authorities to nominate the deans provided they took a “special permission” from the state government.

“We will not allow the vice-chancellor to take an important decision unilaterally,” said Parthapratim Biswas, general secretary, Juta.

Ghosh wrote to the higher education minister seeking the “special permission”.