HRD Ministry scraps own selection panel after ACC snub

NEW DELHI: Close on the heels of the PM-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet ( ACC) rejecting the panel of candidates proposed by a HRD ministry committee for the top job at CBSE, the Smriti Irani-led ministry has now scrapped its own selection panel.

The search-cum-selection committee comprised Chairman University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Ved Prakash, Prof Jawaharlal Kaul, the vice chancellor of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University and Nisar Ahmed Ganai, former head of the J&K School Board, besides ex-officio members.

Top sources in the HRD ministry confirmed that the search panel has been scrapped and a fresh one would be put in place soon. "Selection committee has been scrapped by the ministry following the ACC rejection of the panel of names it had suggested for the CBSE chairman’s post. We will soon be setting up a new committee," a ministry official told ET on condition of anonymity.

With DoPT having raised questions about recruitment rules while evaluating candidates on certain criteria, even the credibility of the search-cum-selection committee had come into question.

In most cases even when a panel of candidates proposed by a selection committee is rejected by DoPT, the ministry continues with the same selection committee asking them to examine candidates afresh.

"All due process was followed by us. Educational experience can be interpreted in different ways, depends on whether you consider work as an educational administrator as educational experience. We have not received any information on the scrapping of the committee," a HRD committee member told ET.

The HRD ministry did not responds to ET queries despite several reminders.

In case of the appointment of the CBSE Chairman, the DoPT had raised a number of queries regarding Satbir Bedi, the candidate proposed by the HRD ministry. The DoPT raised queries to Bedi’s candidature citing possible ineligibility as per the criteria, especially the requirement of three years of experience in educational administration, officials said. The DoPT is also learnt to have raised the issue of the complaints received in the ministry regarding the appointment process. Bedi, a joint secretary in HRD ministry’s School Education Department, was then holding additional charge of CBSE chairman.