Axed IIT prof, whistleblower back in JNU

New Delhi: In a relief to whistleblower former IIT-Kharagpur professor Rajeev Kumar, whose penalty of compulsory retirement was quashed by Pranab Mukherjee days before he demitted office as President, JNU has reinstated him back to his position. 

“In continuation of HRD ministry’s letter and Delhi high court’s order, Rajeev Kumar is requested to resume his duties in School of Computer and Systems Sciences immediately,” an official order issued by JNU said.

IIT-Kharagpur had suspended prof Kumar for “misconduct” in May 2011, the same year the Supreme Court had lauded him as an “unsung hero” for his efforts to reform the IIT Joint Entrance Examin-ation (JEE) which has since been re-christened as JEE Advanced.

The institute had set up a probe panel that found him guilty.

Prof Kumar was accused of “damaging the reputation of the institute” by levelling allegations on issues ranging from irregularities in the purchase of laptops to rampant copying by students during examinations.

In 2014, the IIT decided to compulsorily retire him.

Prof Kumar, who alleg-ed that the panel was biased, had moved the Delhi HC and obtained a stay on the IIT’s decisi-on. He had also appealed to the then President requesting that the order be quashed.

Following the high court’s stay order, prof Kumar had taken lien for two years and joined JNU in 2015. However, he was relieved from JNU in June to allow him to re-join IIT-Kharagpur.

The IIT had last week accepted his resignation following communication of the Presidential order, and the professor had appealed to the JNU V-C to reinstate him.