Serious allegations have surfaced regarding caste-based favoritism and corruption in the recruitment process at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Jamshedpur. In a letter addressed to T. Krishna Prasad, Chairman of the Board of Governors (BoG) at NIT Jamshedpur, Santosh Mandal, District Secretary of BJP OBC Morcha, has demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged manipulation of recruitment rules to favor a candidate from the same caste as key administrative figures at the institute.
According to the letter, the institution is currently administered by Registrar Dr. Nishith Kumar Rai, Deputy Director Prof. R.V. Sharma, and Director Prof. Gautam Sutradhar, have four sanctioned positions for Assistant Registrar. As per the recruitment rules of 2019, 75% of these positions should be filled through direct recruitment, and 25% through promotion or deputation. However, all three positions are currently filled through direct recruitment, and the fourth, reserved for promotion, was allegedly advertised as a general category post in August 2023, indicating a possible breach of the rules.
The letter claims that the reserved position is being manipulated to favor Sumit Kumar Pandey, a Superintendent at the institution and reportedly a close associate of Dr. Rai. Allegations suggest that Mr. Pandey is being positioned for promotion to Assistant Registrar through unlawful means. Mandal accuses Dr. Rai of bypassing senior officers and delegating crucial establishment-related tasks to Mr. Pandey to ensure selections align with his preferences.
Mandal points out that despite a 2022 advertisement for filling the reserved position through a short-term contract, the same position was re-advertised in August 2023 for a regular post without any changes in the status of existing positions. Additionally, the recruitment process decided to use the National Testing Agency (NTA) exam for screening purposes only, sidelining the merit list prepared based on NTA scores. Mr. Pandey, who ranked 21st in the NTA merit list, would have otherwise found it difficult to secure the position due to his low ranking.
The examination method adopted by the institute includes a descriptive exam and a personal interview, with the descriptive exam carrying 70% weightage. Mandal alleges that this format allows for easier manipulation and speculates that exam questions might have been leaked to Mr. Pandey, ensuring his high scores and subsequent appointment.
Highlighting a history of alleged irregularities and corruption involving Dr. Rai, Mandal references Dr. Rai's dismissal from Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga, for various irregularities, which was upheld by the Patna High Court.
The letter calls for an immediate suspension of the interview and appointment process for the Assistant Registrar position and demands a comprehensive investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter to prevent ongoing corruption and illegal appointments.
NIT Jamshedpur's administration has yet to respond to these allegations. The situation raises significant concerns about governance, transparency, and accountability within the institution, particularly in the recruitment process.
