New Delhi: Top sources in the Ministry of HRD claimed that possible reason for the resignation of Director, IIT Delhi could be his alleged involvement in ‘illegally' setting up an off-shore campus of the top institute in Mauritius.
According to a report published in Times of India, a top HRD official said that Raghunath K Shevgaonkar was on the radar of Ministry for taking up an ‘illegally' to set an IIT, Delhi, campus in Mauritius.
"We were asking him questions to which no affirmative response was given," the official said.
READ MORE: IIT Delhi director steps down under government's pressure?
The official further said that IIT Council told Shevgaonkar that the Institutes of Technology Act, that governs IITs, don't permit creation of off-shore campuses.
Despite IIT Council's reservation on the issue, the official claimed, Shevgaonkar went ahead with his proposal for signing a MoU with Tertiary Education Commission of Mauritius.
The proposed institute was to be called International Institute of Technology Research Academy.
He also revealed that when Shevgaonkar was asked to produce authorization certificate from the Ministry of HRD, he failed to put forward any paper regarding the same.
The institution was also asked if it had the clearance of the Ministry of External Affairs.
"IIT-D claimed they had MEA permission but again could not produce any evidence," the official said.
It was in November this year when the Ministry of HRD noticed that the MEA had not given any clearance for setting up an off-shore campus in Mauritius. Following this, the Ministry immediately issued a circular to all higher educational institutions asking them to take prior permission of MEA and HRD for any off-shore campus.
Reports in a section of media said Shevgaonkar's resignation came under the government's pressure over matters involving land for cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's cricket academy and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy salary dues.
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