The government on Monday appointed former Panchajanya editor Baldev Sharma as the new chairman of the National Book Trust, cutting short the term of incumbent A. Sethumadhavan — better known by his pen name `Sethu’ — by six months.
Officially, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) was filling a vacancy that fell open on February 25. According to sources, Mr. Sethumadhavan had been called to the Ministry on February 25 and told by a joint secretary to put in his papers as the government wanted to appoint someone else in his position.
“Mr. Sethumadhavan took the clear hint and submitted his resignation that very day. Today, he was informed that his resignation had been accepted and a replacement appointed,” sources said.
