The Centre has formally granted extension of tenure to the chairperson of IIM Rohtak with the approval of the Visitor at a time his counterparts at a dozen other B-schools continue to hold the posts based on a “questionable” executive order.
J.D. Shroff’s tenure as the IIM Rohtak chairperson has been extended till March 2026 through a letter issued by the ministry of education (MoE) in August.
An IIM official aware of the development said Shroff was the first chairperson to get a formal extension after the amended IIM Act came into effect in August 2023. The amended Act empowers the government to appoint chairpersons with the approval of the Visitor, the President of India.
Chairpersons of a dozen IIMs, including the one in Calcutta, continue to hold the posts based on a July 2023 executive order of the higher education department under the MoE, despite having completed their regular term in 2022.
Before the end of their regular term, the MoE had written to the IIMs to extend their tenure by one year as it was in the process of setting up a search-cum-selection committee for the appointment of chairpersons.
There is no provision in the IIM Act of 2017 and the amended law of 2023 for extension to the incumbent chairperson. But most of the IIMs complied with the
government’s direction.
In July 2023, the MoE wrote to the IIMs asking them to extend the tenure of the chairpersons by another six months or till the formation of the selection committee. In August 2023, the amended law came into force.
A section of IIM faculty members and officials has said the delay in formal appointment has created ad hocism and led to unnecessary interference by some of the incumbent chairpersons in day-to-day affairs like the grant of leave.
An IIM official said the government granted a formal extension to Shroff to avoid a legal challenge while taking action against IIM Rohtak director Dheeraj Sharma in a case of alleged misconduct.
“The government knows the extension of tenure to chairpersons granted by it in 2023 violates rules and is questionable. In the case of IIM Rohtak, the incumbent director will challenge the continuation of the chairperson when the board of governors, headed by the chairman, takes any action against him. To avoid any legal challenge, the government issued a formal extension to the Rohtak chairman,” the official said.
An email seeking higher education secretary Vineet Joshi’s comment on the issue was sent by The Telegraph on Friday. His response is awaited.