In the latest development involving IIT Kharagpur, the institute has challenged the jurisdiction of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) over a public-funded institution which has been established by an Act of Parliament. In an affidavit in the Delhi High Court, IIT-KGP stated that it does not fall under the purview of the CVC and thus is not governed by the rules laid by the Vigilance body.
The affidavit assumes significance since it precedes IIT-KGP’s Board of Governors (BoG) meet on Saturday to respond to the CVC’s direction to the institute and Ministry of Human Resources Department (MHRD) to initiate major penalty proceedings against three IIT-KGP professors indicted in the Rs40-crore CoalNet scam.
The affidavit — pertaining to a different case between IIT Kharagpur and a suspended professor which came up for hearing on Thursday — has been sworn by the institute’s Registrar Tapan Kumar Ghosal on Wednesday.
Ghosal is also the Secretary of BoG of IIT KGP and according to well placed sources, a case of irregularities is pending against him as well. “CVC does not have jurisdiction over the Answering Respondent (IIT Kharagpur), being an autonomous institute does not fall within any of the categories mentioned in the CVC’s provision,” says the affidavit.
As first reported by The Pioneer, the CVC last month upheld the CBI recommendation in 2007 for departmental proceedings against three professors — IIT Patna Director Prof A K Bhowmick, IIT-KGP Dean and Director-Select Prof PP Chakraborty and retired Prof RN Banerjee — indicted in the infamous CoalNet cam.
Sources said that the IIT KGP administration has made up its mind in appointing Chakraborty as its full time Director. IIT KGP Director-officiating, Prof Shankar Kumar Some told The Pioneer over phone that he is not aware about any such affidavit in any court and wished not to comment further.
According to CVC Act 2003, the function and powers of the Commission is to exercise superintendence over the vigilance administration of the various Ministries of Central Government or corporations established by or under any Central Act, Government companies, societies and local authorities owned or controlled by that Government. The IITs have been established under the Act of Parliament, 1965.
Interestingly, IIT Kharagpur had to appoint a permanent Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) on the basis of the CVC’s direction following cases of gross corruption and irregularities reported within the premises in recent years. The institute has defied top authorities including its visitor (President of
India), CVC, the controlling HRD Ministry, the CBI, which recommended action against the three dons and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).