Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has reinstated whistleblower Professor Rajeev Kumar, whose penalty of compulsory retirement was quashed by Pranab Mukherjee days before he demitted office as President.
“In continuation of the HRD Ministry’s letter and the Delhi High Court’s order, Professor Kumar is requested to resume his duties in the School of Computer and Systems Sciences immediately,” an order issued by JNU read.
Charges levelled
“Prof. Kumar will also be entitled to benefits from the date he was relieved from JNU,” the order added.
IIT-Kharagpur had suspended Prof. Kumar for “misconduct” in May 2011.
The institute had set up a probe panel that found him guilty. Prof. Kumar was accused of “damaging the reputation of the institute” by levelling allegations on issues ranging from irregularities in the purchase of laptops to rampant copying by students during exams.
Prof. Kumar, who alleged that the panel was biased, had moved the Delhi High Court and obtained a stay on the institute’s decision.
He then took lien for two years and joined JNU in 2015. The university, however, relieved him of his services in June after his lien period got over.
‘Unsung hero’
Last week, IIT-Kharagpur accepted his resignation following communication of the Presidential order, and the Professor appealed to the JNU vice-chancellor to reinstate him.
In 2011, Prof. Kumar was hailed as an “unsung hero” by the Supreme Court for his efforts to reform the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
