Ministry of Human Resource Development to accept R K Shevgaonkar's resignation

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Human Resource Development is finally veering towards accepting IIT Delhi director R K Shevgaonkar's resignation more than three months after he quit the post, reportedly, over some differences with the minister.

ET has learnt that higher education secretary SN Mohanty moved a file to HRD Minister Smriti Irani last week recommending that the government accept Shevgaonkar's resignation, requesting him to stay on till a new director is appointed. The ministry would soon constitute a search-cum-selection committee for this purpose, said sources. "Not accepting his resignation isn't an option. We can only ask him to stay on till we find someone to replace him. He can then go back to IIT Bombay," said an officer, who did not wish to be identified. Irani did not wish to comment on the issue when ET reached her for a comment.

Shevgaonkar quit the post on December 22 last year citing personal reasons. The government hasn't either accepted or rejected his resignation till date. The delay prompted the institute's Board of Governors to write to the ministry on March 13, requesting them to treat the last three months as the director's "notice period" and relieve him by March 21. The government hasn't responded to this either.

Shevgaonkar's resignation had put IIT Delhi and HRD Ministry on a collision course, with media reports suggesting that he was under pressure from the government to release salary dues to former faculty member and now BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

Senior government officials, on the other hand, had claimed that the director resigned because he was feeling "cornered" as the new government was investigating irregularities purportedly by him in the setting up of an IIT-Delhi facility in Mauritius.