IIT Bhubaneswar. Telegraph Picture

New Delhi, Oct. 16: The human resource development (HRD) ministry is unhappy with IIT Bhubaneswar for giving one-year extension to its registrar in “violation of the rules” laid down in the law governing the tech schools.

The ministry is set to write to the IIT to express its displeasure over the decision to extend the tenure of its registrar Bata Kishore Ray, who had completed five years of service on December 31, 2013. The board of governors (BoG) decided to give him extension of one year in December last year.

Ray, a member of the Central Secretariat Service, was appointed as registrar through selection for three years. The BoG gave first extension to Ray for two years in 2011. According to the norms, deputation up to five years was allowed at that time.

However, the BoG last year again gave him fresh extension, which is being objected to by the government on the argument that it amounts to circumventing the fair process of appointment as laid down under law.

The ministry has already written to all IITs in general to discourage extension to incumbent registrars but to go for appointment through selection.

“The post of registrar is not a deputation post but a selection post, which is to be filed up by advertisement or by promotion from among the members of the staff of the institute.

In view of this, extension to the existing incumbents should be discouraged,” stated the letter issued by Alok Mishra, a director in the ministry.

Sources in the IIT Bhubaneswar BoG said the Union cabinet in August 2011 had revised its norms for deputation of central government employees to new institutions. The revised norms allow deputation up to 10 years.

Accordingly, Ray’s term has been extended. Ray was not available for comments.Ray was appointed through a selection panel six years ago. If he gets further extension, it means that there would be no selection process.

When a person is appointed through selection process, his gets a fixed tenure, which is normally extended for a few months in case of delay in the appointment of new person to that post. But, Ray has already got three years of extension.

“The BoG took wrong decision by giving extension of one year beyond five years. The ministry will write to the BoG shortly,” an IIT council official said.