In the first instance of sacking of the Vice-Chancellor of a Central university, President Pranab Mukherjee has approved the dismissal of Visva Bharati V-C Sushanta Dattagupta. The dismissal sanction comes after HRD Minister Smriti Irani met the President last week to convince him after Rashtrapati Bhavan and the HRD Ministry had a protracted view on the issue.
In the wake of serious financial and administrative allegations against Dattagupta, the HRD Ministry last year had recommended to the President, who is Visitor of the university, for his dismissal. The President’s Office, had, however, raised certain queries after which the Ministry had sought the opinion of the law Ministry before the President took the final call on dismissal of Dattagupta. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the Chancellor of the Viswa Bharti University.
“The President, who is the Visitor of Central universities, has approved the dismissal of Visva Bharati V-C Dattagupta, as proposed by the Ministry,” Ghanshyam Goel, spokesperson for the HRD Ministry said. Dattagupta, who was appointed in 2011 by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as Chancellor, had over six months of his tenure left. The HRD Ministry had also initiated proceedings against then Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh, but he managed and completed his tenure last October.
Mukherjee had twice earlier returned the file relating to Dattagupta to the HRD Ministry, the latest in November last year, asking whether denying the V-C a “hearing in person” on allegations levelled against him was legally tenable, triggering speculation that both were not on the same page on the matter. However, after the law Ministry backed the HRD’s view, the file was again sent to the President paving the way for the V-C’s dismissal.
Charges against Duttagupta included drawing salary from Visva Bharati and pension from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) simultaneously in alleged violation of the law. Under the law, he was required to have got his pension amount deducted from the pay he received from Visva Bharati.