Ranade row: Bibek Debroy quits as chancellor of Gokhale Institute | India News – Times of India

PUNE: Senior economist Bibek Debroy, in an email and a letter sent to Pune-based Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) vice-chancellor Ajit Ranade, has said that he was “standing down with immediate effect” as chancellor of the institute on “moral” grounds.
The two communications on Sept 26 by Debroy, who is also chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, came the day the Bombay high court extended an ad interim relief to Ranade by allowing the latter to continue as V-C till Oct 7.
Ranade confirmed to TOI that he has received the email but preferred not to elaborate on the grounds that his petition challenging his removal as V-C was pending before the high court.
In another letter to the University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman Jagadesh Kumar on Sept 26, Debroy has said, “The Bombay high court has granted Dr Ajit Ranade a stay. In my view, Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics now stands in direct violation to UGC stipulations on deemed universities. It is for you and UGC to decide on how you will act on the matter. As for me, since the stay obtained by Dr Ajit Ranade violates my order, I have decided to step down as chancellor of GIPE with immediate effect.”
Milind Deshmukh, secretary of the Servants of India Society, which runs GIPE, a deemed university, told TOI, “In the email sent to Ranade, Debroy has said that the V-C has asserted in his petition that the chancellor did not apply his mind, and that the court’s relief vindicated the V-C’s position. Debroy has said that under the circumstances, he has no moral right to continue as chancellor of GIPE and was standing down with immediate effect. He has asked the V-C to inform the board of management and everyone else who needed to be informed. He said he would not attend GIPE’s convocation on Oct 5 as he was stepping down with immediate effect.”
On Sept 14, Debroy had issued an order removing Ranade from the V-C’s post based on a three-member fact-finding committee’s report concluding that Ranade’s appointment was not legally tenable as he does not fulfil the criteria of 10 years of experience as a professor to be appointed as a V-C. UGC norms state that the chancellor can remove the vice-chancellor after his appointment on grounds of incapacity, misrepresentation or violation of regulations.
On June 27, the then chancellor Rajiv Kumar had issued a show cause notice to Ranade for not meeting the eligibility criteria following a complaint lodged by former faculty of Gokhale Institute, Murali Krishna.
On Ranade’s request, Debroy had allowed him to continue as V-C till Sept 21 to complete certain formalities. Ranade then moved the HC challenging his removal and sought his reinstatement.