Centre requests Anil Kakodkar to continue till his tenure ends on May 11

NEW DELHI: The HRD ministry has rejected former Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar’s resignation as the chairman of the board of governors of IIT Bombay and has requested him to continue till his tenure ends on May 11. Higher education secretary SN Mohanty wrote to Kakodkar on Wednesday informing him that his “resignation has not been accepted at the government level”.

The nuclear scientist had quit the post on March 12, apparently because of differences with the Ministry over selection of IIT directors. But Kakodkar, as Mohanty’s letter suggests, has been convinced by minister Smriti Irani to continue as Chairman till May 11. “I understand that HRM has talked to you on the telephone in the meantime and requested you to withdraw your resignation.

I am glad that you have graciously accepted the withdrawal of your resignation letter because the institution stands to gain with your continuance and all of us are proud of your contribution to the institution,” Mohanty’s email said. ET could not reach Kakodkar to confirm if he has decided to continue till May 11. His resignation came ahead of a crucial meeting of search-cumselection committee to select the directors of IIT Patna, Bhubaneshwar and Ropar.

The committee is chaired by Irani and Kakodkar is one of the members of the panel. The committee is slated to meet on March 22. As per sources, Kakodkar communicated his inability to attend the selection panel meet on March 12. It’s not clear if he has changed his mind.