New Delhi: IIT Delhi director Raghunath K Shevgaonkar quit after pressure from the human resource development ministry to reportedly release pay of nearly Rs 70 lakh to former IIT D faculty and now BJP functionary Subramanian Swamy as his “salary dues” between 1972 and 1991.
The ministry officials claim they were unaware of him leaving, which comes two years before the end of his term. It also denied involvement over the resignation, adding that media reports to the contrary were ‘factually inaccurate and incorrect’.
IIT Delhi has maintained that Swamy has not provided it with information it needs: the details of his earnings from the time of his termination as a professor in 1972 to March 1991, when he was reinstated following a court order.
Swamy had been demanding his salary dues during the period along with an 18% interest, which both IIT and the HRD ministry initially rejected. Swamy then went to the Delhi high court, and last year, it dismissed IIT’s plea that his petition should not be entertained.
The ministry changed its stance after the Narendra Modi government assumed office this year. Recently, it sought the advice of the department of personnel & training on whether Swamy’s case came under the government’s general financial rules and service rules and if he could be granted ‘extraordinary leave’ between 1972 and 1991.
The ministry even organized a meeting between Shevgaonkar and other senior IIT officials with Swamy. But Shevgaonkar, the sources said, wasn’t in favour of an out-of-court settlement and wanted to pursue the legal battle. “The director was of the view that such a settlement will create a bad precedent. He also felt that the case had political overtones,” a senior IIT official was quoted as saying in reports.
The statement by the ministry, on Sunday, said the ministry had not forwarded “Swamy’s request to IIT-Delhi nor given any direction to make payment of arrears to Swamy. Views of [Department of Personnel and Training] DoPT and Finance Ministry have been sought on the matter.”
The MHRD further stated that Shevgaonkar letter of resignation will have to be accepted by the Appointing Authority and President Pranab Mukherjee.
“Chairman, IIT-Delhi has forwarded [the] director ‘s resignation letter on the evening of December 26 for Appointing Authorities decision following due process. Resignation can only be accepted by the Appointing Authority. It will have to go the President for his approval as Visitor of IIT-Delhi,” the statement said.
“The news item reported is factually inaccurate and incorrect unnecessarily drags the ministry into issues where no direction has been issued by the ministry,” the statement added.
(With inputs from ANI)