PUNE: Bombay high court has put on hold till Sept 23 Ajit Ranade‘s removal as VC of Pune’s Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE).
Ranade was sacked on Sept 14 by chancellor Bibek Debroy after a panel’s report said the noted economist did not have enough “teaching experience” under University Grants Commission (UGC) norms to head the Pune-based GIPE, one of India’s oldest economics research and training institutes.Ranade was appointed over two years ago.
Hearing Ranade’s plea Wednesday challenging his removal, an HC bench of Justice M S Sonak and Justice Kamal Khata asked his lawyer Mihir Desai to move the matter before the “regular bench” on Sept 23 and stayed his removal till then.
The bench noted that the chancellor had acceded to a request from Ranade for time till Sept 21 before giving effect to his removal. In the meantime, Ranade filed the suit in the HC.
Ranade was removed after a three-member fact-finding committee concluded that his appointment “does not conform with established UGC norms” related to teaching experience.
In his petition, Ranade has sought quashing of his removal order and the findings of a three-member fact-finding committee. He has pleaded that chancellor Debroy did not apply his independent mind or assign reasons for his removal but solely relied on the committee’s findings. He claimed that Debroy did not give him an opportunity to respond to the committee’s report.
Ranade was sacked on Sept 14 by chancellor Bibek Debroy after a panel’s report said the noted economist did not have enough “teaching experience” under University Grants Commission (UGC) norms to head the Pune-based GIPE, one of India’s oldest economics research and training institutes.Ranade was appointed over two years ago.
Hearing Ranade’s plea Wednesday challenging his removal, an HC bench of Justice M S Sonak and Justice Kamal Khata asked his lawyer Mihir Desai to move the matter before the “regular bench” on Sept 23 and stayed his removal till then.
The bench noted that the chancellor had acceded to a request from Ranade for time till Sept 21 before giving effect to his removal. In the meantime, Ranade filed the suit in the HC.
Ranade was removed after a three-member fact-finding committee concluded that his appointment “does not conform with established UGC norms” related to teaching experience.
In his petition, Ranade has sought quashing of his removal order and the findings of a three-member fact-finding committee. He has pleaded that chancellor Debroy did not apply his independent mind or assign reasons for his removal but solely relied on the committee’s findings. He claimed that Debroy did not give him an opportunity to respond to the committee’s report.