Jadavpur University has recommended that Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team who directed India to an unprecedented first World Cup triumph on Sunday, be honoured with the DLitt (Honoris Causa) during its annual convocation, traditionally held on December 24.

The name was proposed at a four-dean committee meeting held on Thursday to discuss preparations for the convocation.

The vice-chancellor and the acting registrar also attended the meeting.

The name will be proposed before governor C.V. Ananda Bose, the ex officio chancellor of state-aided universities, for approval, said a JU official.

Since the feat achieved under Harmanpreet’s watch marks a breakthrough moment in women’s empowerment, her name was proposed, the official said.

“If the chancellor gives his consent, the name will be placed before the university’s executive council for formal approval. JU will feel honoured to honour Harmanpreet, who made all of us proud,” the official said.

New JU vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee will seek an appointment with the chancellor for his consent on the matter.

“During the meeting, the proposed name for DLitt will be placed before the chancellor for his consent,” said a JU official.

The meeting on Thursday also proposed the names of Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, DRDO chairman Samir V. Kamat, and the CEO of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Shivkumar Kalyanaraman as chief guests for the convocation.

“These names will also be placed before the chancellor for his consent,” said a JU official.

Last year, the JU convocation was mired in controversy.

In a letter to then authorised JU VC Bhaskar Gupta on December 19, 2024, governor Bose said the executive council meeting held two days earlier had been convened at short notice and the university had not sought the chancellor’s approval for the convocation date.

The chancellor skipped last year’s convocation as a mark of protest.

This year, the university has a full-term VC in Chiranjib Bhattacharjee.

From late March, the university did not even have an authorised VC after the governor removed Gupta from the post days before the expiry of his tenure.

“We don’t want any controversy. We will send the names proposed for the DLitt and invitees as chief guests to the governor,” said an official.