Denial of PhD to whistleblower prof's student: Put issue before BoG, HRD ministry asks IIT Kharagpur

Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has asked IIT Kharagpur to put before its board of goverrs issue of denial of doctorate degree to a student of whistleblower Professor Rajeev Kumar, who claimed "vindictive attitude" towards him on part of premier engineering institute, according to an RTI reply.

move follows appeals by Kumar, who got posting at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) after a prolonged legal battle with IIT Kharagpur where he was posted earlier, and by his student Mahesh Shirole to ministry.

Citing Shirole's petition, HRD ministry in a communiqué asked registrar of IIT Kharagpur to place issue before board of goverrs for a decision. copy of communiqué was received in response to an RTI query filed by Kumar.

board of goverrs of IIT Kharagpur is heed by Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, Kumar said.

Each automous Indian Institute of Techlogy (IIT) has a board of goverrs responsible for its overall general superintendence, direction and control of affairs. Shirole h submitted his sis in 2014 for award of PhD, which was accepted by an Indian examiner but rejected by an NRI one, Kumar said.

original sis would have been sent to a third examiner. Inste, IIT kept on directing student to revise sis and send that to same NRI examiner twice, who rejected sis with new comments every time, he said.

It is alleged that NRI examiner was biased, prejudiced and his appointment was in violation of IIT's rule.

"IIT did t send sis to a third examiner despite repeated requests," Kumar said.

For past three years, Shirole has been sending appeals to President, who is Visitor of IITs, Prime Minister and HRD Ministry, among ors.

Kumar, who has been fighting for justice of his student, in his appeal to HRD ministry and also to President, claimed that denial was result of institution's "vindictive attitude" towards him.

"IIT Kharagpur's denial of PhD to student is an extension of its vindictive attitude against me. IIT Kharagpur has been vindictive to me, as I disclosed arbitrariness and irregularities in IITs missions in 2006 onwards, and contributed significantly in reforming IITs missions and acemic processes," he said in appeal.

He said, "For se reforms, Supreme Court hailed me as one of many unsung heroes who helped in improving system."

IIT Kharagpur h in May 2011 suspended Kumar on charges of misconduct. He was accused of damaging its reputation by levelling allegations of irregularities in missions, purchase of laptops and rampant copying by students in exams.

n, IIT imposed a penalty of his compulsory retirement in 2014, which was set-aside in 2017 by n President Pranab Mukherjee.

During time, Kumar was appointed and joined JNU in 2015 during his legal fight over issue. Kumar was hailed as an "unsung hero" by Supreme Court in 2011 for his efforts to reform IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which has since been re-christened as JEE vanced.