Notice period over, IIT-Delhi director still can’t leave

Shevgaonkar had resigned on December 22 amid controversy, seeking to be relieved by the first week of January. He has now served his mandated notice of three months.

Three months after he resigned, and even as his notice period comes to an end, IIT-Delhi Director Raghunath K Shevgaonkar is yet to be relieved by the Smriti Irani-led Human Resource Development Ministry.

Shevgaonkar had resigned on December 22 amid controversy, seeking to be relieved by the first week of January. He has now served his mandated notice of three months.

“Yes, it (notice period) is over. How can I leave till I am formally relieved? I have not received anything yet,” Shevgaonkar told The Sunday Express, adding that he had even reminded the ministry, but did not hear back from them.

Shevgaonkar’s resignation had stirred up a row, with some reports claiming he had quit amid pressure from the HRD Ministry to release nearly Rs 70 lakh to former IIT-Delhi faculty Subramanian Swamy, who is now a BJP functionary, as salary dues for the period between 1972 and 1991.

HRD Ministry officials, however, had claimed he resigned after an inquiry was set up on IIT-Delhi’s Mauritius venture. The ministry had said the MoU between the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) and IIT-Delhi for setting up an International Institute of Technology Research Academy (IITRA) in Mauritius “violates the IIT Act”.

While sources had then claimed Shevgaonkar was not being relieved since the inquiry was on, ministry officials now say there is no such probe being conducted and there is no clarity on why there has been a delay in relieving him.

Shevgaonkar recently wrote to the ministry stating that his resignation letter dated December 22, 2014 may be accepted on completion of the notice.

Source:: Indian Express