Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has criticised the prolonged delay in appointing a regular director at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, one of India’s premier management institutes, which has been without a permanent head since September 2023.
“How long does it take to appoint a REGULAR Director for one of the most prestigious institutions in the country IIM-Calcutta, which has been without one since Sept 2023? Is the data bank in Nagpur that badly depleted? IIM Kashipur and IIM Shillong are sailing in the same boat. And recall IIM Rohtak. The Modi Govt appointed a Director and then went to court to have the person declared unfit,” Ramesh posted on X on Monday.
The RSS headquarters is located in Nagpur.
His remarks come amid reports that the education ministry has rejected a list of candidates for the director’s post sent by IIM Calcutta and asked the institute to restart the selection process.
The list, submitted around September 2024, had been pending with the ministry for over six months. Last month, the ministry scrapped it, citing a delay of more than a year since the appointment process began in February 2024.
In March, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said that all universities in India are now "RSS-dominated" in their vice-chancellor appointments, and warned that in the near future, state universities' VCs would be appointed through RSS nomination.
Under the IIM (Amendment) Act, 2023, the President of India, as the Visitor, must approve the appointment of directors based on names recommended by the Board of Governors (BoG), following the suggestions of a search-cum-selection panel.
Ramesh’s post also highlights concerns beyond Calcutta. IIM Kashipur and IIM Shillong currently do not have regular directors.
IIM Calcutta is currently headed by Professor Saibal Chattopadhyay as director-in-charge. He is set to retire soon. Chairperson Shrikrishna Kulkarni is continuing on an extended tenure.
