E-Paper
Ajit Ranade removed as vice-chancellor of Pune’s Gokhale institute
After review, the committee concluded that Ranade’s qualifications “did not meet the norms set forth by the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines”
Noted economist Ajit Ranade was removed as vice-chancellor of the renowned Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) on Saturday following a fact-finding committee (FFC) report that probed complaints of irregularities in the appointment.
GIPE chancellor Bibek Debroy issued a two-page letter stating Ranade’s removal with immediate effect, a copy assessed by Hindustan Times.
The letter referred to findings of the FFC set up to investigate allegations against Ranade followed by a show cause notice issued to him by the then chancellor Rajiv Kumar on June 27, 2024.
The committee, which held several meetings, including an in-person session at GIPE in Pune on Friday, also heard Ranade’s views on the matter, the letter claimed.
After review, the committee concluded that Ranade’s qualifications “did not meet the norms set forth by the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines”. The FFC report stated that his appointment was “legally untenable” as it failed to conform to the required UGC standards for such a high-profile position. Based on the findings, the committee recommended Ranade’s removal as vice-chancellor.
Ranade said, “This is truly an unfortunate and shocking decision. For the past two and a half years, I have been working diligently and to the best of my ability, contributing to positive developments in the institute. These results seem to have been completely ignored.”
The removal of Ranade comes amid ongoing reforms he initiated at the institute, including the launch of “Geosquare”, a centre for geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the introduction of two new master’s programmes. Under his tenure, GIPE also upgraded its classrooms, expanded hostel capacity from 280 to 400 beds, and invested ₹50 lakh in the restoration of the heritage SIS Hall.
“Ranade has completed half of his tenure during which he introduced various initiatives while the institute also got the opportunity to study some key social issues like the Maratha reservation and a few others. There is no doubt about his credibility, but it was the rules and regulations that he didn’t fit into,” said Naresh Bodkhe, professor, GIPE.
The FFC in its report observed that Ranade’s candidature does not conform to the established norms set forth by UGC guidelines. “It is therefore legally untenable for him to continue in the role of vice-cChancellor as his appointment fails to meet the requisite legal and regulatory criterion for such a position,” stated the FFC report.
The report cited previous UGC Gazette Notification having reference to minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academic staff in universities. “Therefore, I have no option but to remove you as VC with immediate effect,” Debroy stated in letter citing the notification.
On June 26, UGC acted on a complaint by former GIPE faculty member Murali Krishna dated December 19, 2023 and sent a letter to GIPE’s then chancellor Rajiv Kumar seeking the action taken report. Krishna in his complaint had alleged that Ranade’s appointment violated eligibility rules requiring a candidate to have at least 10 years of experience as a professor for the post.
Ranade was a former member of the Board of Management at GIPE. Before joining the institute as the vice-chancellor, he was the executive president and chief economist with the Aditya Birla Group. His 32-year career spanned both academic and corporate assignments as he was engaged in teaching at universities of India and the United States.
Advocate Kaustubh Patil, who had also been opposing Ranade’s appointment for the past two years on behalf of some students, said, “Several professors and students have objected to Ranade’s appointment, as he does not meet the UGC requirement of 10 years of experience as professor. According to RTI information, Ranade lacks the necessary academic qualifications for the role.”
Patil alleged that Ranade had made unauthorised staff appointments, including hiring of four new members, and had raised tuition fees for several courses during his tenure. “We had demanded an inquiry into these issues, but it was ignored for a long time,” he said.
Patil and other protesters also threatened to demonstrate by showing black flags to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her visit to the institute on October 5 if the matter was not resolved.
Who is Ranade
Ajit Ranade is a noted economist
He was awarded doctorate in economics from Brown University, US after completing post graduate diploma in management from IIM, Ahmedabad, and BTech in electrical engineering from IIT Bombay
Ranade was former member of the Board of Management at GIPE. Before joining the Institute as V-C, he was the group executive president and chief economist with the Aditya Birla Group
He has served as member of several committees of the Reserve Bank of India
He was member of apex committees of national industry bodies such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
