New Delhi, Jan. 27: IIT Kharagpur has suspended registrar D. Gunasekaran for allegedly approving payments for a course “in violation of his financial powers” three years ago.
The tech school’s board of governors approved the suspension last month after the CBI recommended regular departmental action for major penalty against him. The registrar was issued suspension orders on Wednesday.
“IIT Kharagpur has suspended the registrar from service on disciplinary grounds. I cannot divulge the exact reasons for the action. We will give the reasons in the chargesheet which will be issued to him,” officiating registrar T.K. Ghosal told The Telegraph today.
Sources said Gunasekaran allegedly cleared an honorarium of Rs 2.1 lakh towards classes and consultation charges of some faculty members and other staff holding a self-financing course at the school. A CBI inquiry was ordered on a complaint made to the government.
After the CBI submitted its report, the school set up a one-man committee of Justice (retd) Ronojit Mitra to probe administrative lapses and recommend against the registrar and other officials.
Pending the inquiry, Gunasekaran was sent on deputation and joined as registrar at Chennai’s Indian Maritime University in December 2010. In April 2011, he was “verbally” told by director Acharya to proceed on leave. On Wednesday, he was suspended.
The school will chargesheet Gunasekaran within six months from the day of suspension. It will then set up another inquiry panel that will look into the case, hear the former registrar’s response and suggest departmental action.
Gunasekaran could not be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts.
An IIT insider alleged the suspension was intended at helping officiating registrar Ghosal continue in his post till his retirement in December.
“The IIT authorities want that Ghosal should continue as officiating registrar till his retirement. Now the procedure of chargesheet and setting up of a separate committee will take about a year. By the time the committee gives its recommendations, Ghosal would have retired as officiating registrar. If Gunasekaran was allowed to join, Ghosal would have continued as deputy registrar,” the source said.
There are allegations that Ghosal’s appointment as assistant registrar in 1990s was illegal.
The school had appointed S.K. Poddar, S.Mitra, T.K. Mukherjee, T.R. Maity and Ghosal as assistant registrars between 1994 and 2000. Ghosal was in 2006 appointed as deputy registrar and is now the officiating registrar.
All these officials did not fulfil the minimum requirement of 55 per cent marks at the Master’s level. Ghosal has claimed that he had a PhD, so he did not need to fulfil the 55 per cent criteria.
Director in trouble
In a separate case of financial irregularity, IIT Kharagpur director Damodar Acharya is also facing regular departmental action for major penalty.
Sources said he is likely to be chargesheeted by the HRD ministry soon. He was showcaused last month but has not replied till date.
As All India Council of Technical Education chairperson (May 2005 to June 2007), Acharya had overruled an expert committee report that Padmavathi Engineering College was low on faculty strength and granted it extension of approval.
“The director is likely to be issued a chargesheet. A decision will be taken after receiving his reply,” a source said.
