Former NCERT director to be probed by HRD months after she was asked to step down

NEW DELHI: Seven months after the then NCERT director Pravin Sinclair was asked to quit, HRD ministry has now instituted an inquiry against her into the allegations for which she was forced to go.

Dinanath Batra of RSS's Shiksha Bachao Andolan was at the forefront demanding Sinclair's ouster. The inquiry against Sinclair will be carried out by Shashi Prakash Goyal, HRD joint secretary , who will also look into allegations against NCERT's officiating director B K Tripathi and former secretary Alok Verma. Ironically, the same ministry had not found anything substantial in these allegations earlier.

Goyal will inquire into allegations of purchase of paper worth Rs 50 crore for printing textbooks and of cover paper without following the prescribed tender procedure. It is also alleged that there was discrepancy in the original tender quantity and finally what was bought. There are allegations that work worth crores of rupees were outsourced without inviting tender or following General Financial Rules. Expenditure of Rs 34 lakh on renovation of the director's bungalow, to which Sinclair never shifted, will also be looked into.

Allegations that crores of rupees were paid in arrears to the faculty in violation of University Grants Commission and Supreme Court orders will also be probed, which led to a loss of Rs 20 crore to the exchequer.

The allegations against Tripathi and Verma is that the duo threatened the faculty with changing recruitment rules and transfer policy . Documents say Verma was allotted space in NCERT even after he had demitted office. Ministry sources admitted there has been delay in instituting an inquiry .