The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has sought factual details from the Centre about HCl founder Shiv Nadar’s ‘linkages’ and appointment as Chairman of the Board of Governor (BoG) of IIT Kharagpur.
In a confidential office memorandum (OM) dated May 16, 2013, the CVC has directed the HRD Ministry to furnish the factual report at the earliest. Sources in the Ministry said that Nadar is scheduled to visit the HRD Ministry during the next two days to clarify his position on the series of controversy involving the prestigious Kharagpur institute.
The Pioneer on May 13 had reported about Nadar’s alleged ‘nexus’ with IIT and how his software company was getting benefit due to his position. In another major setback to Nadar and several top authorities of the institute, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has sought complete details about financial ‘deals’ between HCl and IIT-KGP. A copy of the CVC’s OM and CIC order are available with The Pioneer.
The corruption watchdog has taken cognizance of a complaint sent by an IIT professor against Shiv Nadar who was nominated Chairman BoG by the Visitor (then President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil) in March 2011. The complaint highlights the emerging nexus between the HCl and ‘tainted’ academic administrators of the premier technology institute.
As reported by The Pioneer, the complaint which was also forwarded to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) questioned Nadar’s appointment as Chairman of institute inviting conflict of interest.
“HCl has been working with IIT Kharagpur for profits for decades and supplying the computers, networking and accessories. Shiv Nadar is also running institutes and an university besides his company’s association with an IIT-JEE coaching institute at Kota in Rajasthan,” says the professors’ complaint to Visitor, CVC, PMO and HRD Ministry. The PMO has forwarded this complaint copy to the HRD Ministry for an immediate “action as appropriate”.
The complaint talks about conflicts of interests pointing as since his joining, Nadar is allegedly shielding the CBI-indicted IIT dons including IIT Directors, Registrar, Deans and others who had benefited his software company. Citing glaring instances, the complainant says former IIT Director Prof Damodar Acharya was allowed to continue despite CBI recommending Regular Departmental Action (RDA) for major penalty for his role in infamous AICTE scam. It also alleged that Nadar is shielding IIT former don Registrar Dr Gunasekaran, CoalNet scam-indicted Prof AK Bhowmick, Director IIT Patna and Prof PP Chakrabarti, who is the Director-select of the institute.
CVC in February 2013 directed the HRD Ministry and IIT-KGP for major penalty against Bhowmick and Chakrabarti. To ‘protect’ them the institute had sworn at Delhi High Court that IIT do fall within the purview of CVC, only to be withdrawn later.
As enshrined in the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2010, due to not having the requisite qualifications, Nadar cannot head any institutes, says the complaint. While the institute as well as HRD Ministry has already put on record that they do not have any record of the educational and professional qualification of Shiv Nadar, he was awarded as D.SC in 2010.
Incidentally, the proposal for a D.Sc degree award to Visitor Pranab Mukherjee was turned down by the HRD Ministry in July 2012 on the ground that it won’t befit the office of the President to allow the conferment of an honorary degree on himself.