New Delhi: Economist Ajit Ranade has resigned as vice-chancellor (V-C) of Pune-based Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) for “personal reasons”, adding that his departure does not imply acceptance of the allegations regarding his “ineligibility” for the position, ThePrint has learnt.
Ranade’s appointment as the V-C has been in the news since September when he was removed from the position after a fact-finding committee—constituted by GIPE’s former chancellor, the late Bibek Debroy—ascertained that his candidacy violated the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations. However, he was granted relief by the Bombay High Court.
Shortly after the court stayed his removal, Debroy, the chairperson of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, resigned and economist Sanjeev Sanyal took over on 6 October. Debroy died on 1 November.
In a letter, dated 29 October and addressed to Sanyal, Ranade said that he decided for personal reasons to resign from his post with immediate effect. ThePrint has seen the letter.
“My best wishes for great success to the Institute in its quest for excellence. Please note that this letter of resignation does not in any way indicate my acceptance of any defect or ineligibility in my appointment as Vice Chancellor in October 2021,” he said in the letter.
ThePrint reached Ranade via calls and messages. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
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Controversy surrounding Ranade’s appointment as V-C
Ranade was appointed as the V-C of GIPE, a deemed university, in 2022. He was a member of the board of management, the highest decision-making body of the institute, when he was invited to apply for the post. At the time, the Servants of India Society, GIPE’s founding society, had raised the issue of Ranade’s candidacy, calling it a “conflict of interest” in a letter to the then-chancellor Rajiv Kumar.
Later, in December 2023, former GIPE faculty member Murali Krishna, who was removed from GIPE in 2018 over allegations of “misconduct”, filed a complaint with the UGC, alleging that Ranade’s appointment violated UGC regulations since he lacked 10 years of experience as a professor.
UGC regulations issued in 2018 mandate that a person appointed vice-chancellor should be a “distinguished academician with a minimum of 10 years of experience as a professor in a university or a minimum of 10 years of experience in a reputed research organisation or/and an academic, administrative organisation with proof of having demonstrated academic leadership”.
Acting on his complaint, the UGC wrote to former chancellor Kumar twice in January and, again, in June this year, seeking an action taken report (ATR).
Kumar then issued a show-cause notice to Ranade on 27 June this year, referring to complaints of “alleged misrepresentation” and “unacceptable conduct” while discharging his duties, a serving faculty member had earlier told ThePrint.
Kumar’s term as GIPE chancellor ended in June. After that, Debroy took over as chancellor and formed the fact-finding committee to examine the show-cause notice issued to Ranade and the complaints against him. The fact-finding committee reported that his “did not meet the norms set forth by the UGC guidelines” and strongly recommended his removal from the position.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also Read: Sanjeev Sanyal appointed new chancellor of Pune’s Gokhale Institute after Bibek Debroy’s exit