Anil Kakodkar skips key IIT meeting

NEW DELHI: He may have withdrawn his resignation from the post of Chairman at IIT Bombay, but nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar skipped the crucial meeting of the panel constituted for interviewing candidates for the post of IIT director on Sunday, indicating all may still not be well between him and the government.

Kakodkar had quit as the Chairman of the board of governors of IIT-Bombay on March 12, barely two weeks ahead of the meeting of the search-cum-selection committee amid reports of disagreement between him and HRD Minister Smriti Irani over shortlisting of directors for IIT-Ropar, IIT-Patna and IIT-Bhuwaneshwar. Irani, however, convinced him to withdraw his resignation and continue till the end of his tenure on May 11.

Although Kakodkar, who is on each of the three panels scouting for directors, had conveyed his inability to attend the Sunday’s meeting at the time of his resignation, the government was still hopeful of his presence, either in person or virtual via video conferencing, after he agreed to continue as the IIT Bombay Chairman. Kakodkar was not reachable for comment.

The search-cum-selection panel has nine members of which four, including Kakodkar, did not attend the Sunday meeting. Former IIT Madras director MS Ananth, Chairperson of Tetra Pak India Lila Poonawala and HM Nerurkar of Tata Steel were also absent. Trouble reportedly began when Irani decided to scrap the shortlisting of 13 candidates for the three IIT posts and decided to interview each of the 37 candidates afresh. Sunday’s meeting was called to meet all candidates again.