Teachers and officials of colleges that are no longer affiliated to Calcutta University (CU) are still serving on its committees, including the institution’s highest policy-making body.

More than 20 teachers and officials on seven committees are associated with colleges that are among the 57 whose affiliations were transferred from CU to West Bengal State University nearly six months ago.

Six teachers and principals of colleges now affiliated to West Bengal State University are elected representatives of the 164-member Senate, CU’s apex body.

“How can outsiders frame our policies and take decisions on important academic and administrative matters?” asked a senior CU official.

The answer lies in party rather than university affiliation. “The CU committees are exclusively made up of CPM sympathisers and replacing over 20 teachers and officials is difficult. Getting the names vetted by Alimuddin Street also takes time,” said a CU teacher.

“Affiliation of a number of colleges was transferred from CU to Kalyani University in the 1990s. Since there is a precedence, the university should not take so much time to replace the committee members,” argued the teacher.

University authorities attributed the delay to a difference of opinion between two groups of officials. “We will soon write to the state government and seek its opinion on this matter,” said vice-chancellor Suranjan Das.

The delay is telling on the CU schedule. Fearing legal complications, the authorities have postponed important meetings of the seven committees, according to sources.

For instance, the board of discipline, which has a teacher from a de-affiliated college as member, has not met for the past four months.

The date of the undergraduate council’s next meeting is also uncertain as the principal of a de-affiliated college is a member of the panel.