In defiance of a Central Government order, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur made excessive payment to the Inquiry Officer (IO) of the case related to IIT whistleblower Professor Rajeev Kumar.
A retired judge of Calcutta High Court, the IO was paid Rs7 lakh for five inquiry meetings. The HRD Ministry has taken cognisance of the act by the institute which has defied the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order dated July 31, 2012. The order stipulates a maximum of Rs75,000 that any inquiry office can be paid.
This is the second defiance of Central Government directives by IIT Kharagpur pertaining to the inquiry proceedings against suspended Professor Rajeev Kumar of Computer Science & Engineering. Last week the institute defied HRD Ministry directives to place the procedural matter of allegations against Kumar before the Visitor (President of India) for a review. After four months, the institute responded to the Ministry saying an inquiry has already been conducted against the whistleblower and report submitted to IIT Kharagpur Director. The board of governors of IIT Kharagpur will now meet on March 23, 2013 to decide on further action.
Kumar was suspended on May 13, 2011 on charges of misrepresenting and defaming the institute. The institute then appointed Retired Judge Ronojit Mitra as the Chairman of one-man “Standing” Enquiry Committee for all disciplinary cases against faculty and officers of the Institute.
The said payment to the IO also includes an amount of Rs2, 05,000 at three stages when the proceedings was at very initial stage taking the total amount paid to Rs7, 05,000. The DoPT office memorandum (OM), dated 31/07/12, fixed a ceiling of maximum Rs75,000 per case for the retired judge as IOs. “The DoPT OM is applicable to autonomous bodies, including IITs. They may retain their own provisions so long as they are not more beneficial than what has been proposed in this DopT orders,” said a top HRD Ministry official.
According to the information made available to the HRD Ministry, the official said that in addition to the above excess payments, the IO was even provided facilities like free transport and all other kind of hospitality extended which do not fall within the purview.
Ironically, it has also been brought to the notice of HRD Ministry, Council of IIT and CVC that four of the five Inquiry meetings were conducted on the hearing days of a case of IIT Kharagpur vs. CIC & Others in which under suspension professor Rajeev Kumar had to appear in-person as he is the sole respondent in Calcutta High Court.
As a whistleblower, Kumar had pointed discrepancies in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) towards IITs. He was hailed as an “unsung hero” last year by the Supreme Court regarded Kumar as an ‘unsung hero’ for revealing the flaws in the JEE and also asked the IITs to water-tight the entrance test.
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/128314-iit-paid-rs6l-extra-to-inquiry-officer-for-five-meetings.html
A retired judge of Calcutta High Court, the IO was paid Rs7 lakh for five inquiry meetings. The HRD Ministry has taken cognisance of the act by the institute which has defied the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order dated July 31, 2012. The order stipulates a maximum of Rs75,000 that any inquiry office can be paid.
This is the second defiance of Central Government directives by IIT Kharagpur pertaining to the inquiry proceedings against suspended Professor Rajeev Kumar of Computer Science & Engineering. Last week the institute defied HRD Ministry directives to place the procedural matter of allegations against Kumar before the Visitor (President of India) for a review. After four months, the institute responded to the Ministry saying an inquiry has already been conducted against the whistleblower and report submitted to IIT Kharagpur Director. The board of governors of IIT Kharagpur will now meet on March 23, 2013 to decide on further action.
Kumar was suspended on May 13, 2011 on charges of misrepresenting and defaming the institute. The institute then appointed Retired Judge Ronojit Mitra as the Chairman of one-man “Standing” Enquiry Committee for all disciplinary cases against faculty and officers of the Institute.
The said payment to the IO also includes an amount of Rs2, 05,000 at three stages when the proceedings was at very initial stage taking the total amount paid to Rs7, 05,000. The DoPT office memorandum (OM), dated 31/07/12, fixed a ceiling of maximum Rs75,000 per case for the retired judge as IOs. “The DoPT OM is applicable to autonomous bodies, including IITs. They may retain their own provisions so long as they are not more beneficial than what has been proposed in this DopT orders,” said a top HRD Ministry official.
According to the information made available to the HRD Ministry, the official said that in addition to the above excess payments, the IO was even provided facilities like free transport and all other kind of hospitality extended which do not fall within the purview.
Ironically, it has also been brought to the notice of HRD Ministry, Council of IIT and CVC that four of the five Inquiry meetings were conducted on the hearing days of a case of IIT Kharagpur vs. CIC & Others in which under suspension professor Rajeev Kumar had to appear in-person as he is the sole respondent in Calcutta High Court.
As a whistleblower, Kumar had pointed discrepancies in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) towards IITs. He was hailed as an “unsung hero” last year by the Supreme Court regarded Kumar as an ‘unsung hero’ for revealing the flaws in the JEE and also asked the IITs to water-tight the entrance test.
Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/128314-iit-paid-rs6l-extra-to-inquiry-officer-for-five-meetings.html
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