GIPE questions authenticity of ‘official’ mails, launches internal probe

While Debroy is unwell and unable to respond to the multiple queries sent to him by HT, Manish Joshi, secretary, UGC, said they had not received any letter from Debroy about GIPE

The ongoing tussle between Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) and former chancellor Bibek Debroy gets curiouser and curiouser with GIPE now casting doubts about the purported letter written by Debroy to the University Grants Commission pointing to GIPE flouring UGC norms.

Debroy, who was appointed GIPE chancellor on July 5, resigned last week stating that he is stepping down from the post with immediate effect. (HT PHOTO)

While Debroy is unwell and unable to respond to the multiple queries sent to him by HT, Manish Joshi, secretary, UGC, said they had not received any letter from Debroy about GIPE. “We have not received any letter from Debroy raising concerns about GIPE violating UGC norms,” Joshi said. GIPE has launched an internal probe into the various emails it has been receiving about the ongoing controversy over vice chancellor Ajit Ranade. In July, GIPE registrar had even approached the Pune cyber police bout certain suspicious emails received by them.

A senior office-bearer of Servants of India Society (SIS), which runs GIPE, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “In the past few days, GIPE has received several emails inquiring about the status of the institution and the ongoing case related to former chancellor Bibek Debroy and vice-chancellor Ajit Ranade. Even the letter purportedly sent by Debroy to UGC is under suspicion, and we believe it might be fake.”

According to sources, the institute and its senior members have received more than 800 such mails in the past few days. The contents of many mails are same, but sent through different IDs.

“There are certain anonymous mails with random allegations made,” said the person quoted above.

“Even as we are verifying the emails and conducting a thorough scrutiny, our academic activities are going on as usual. We will also hold our convocation programme scheduled for October 5,” said Ajit Rande, GIPE vice chancellor who has been at the heart of the controversy at the institution.

Debroy, who was appointed GIPE chancellor on July 5, resigned last week stating that he is stepping down from the post with immediate effect as he has no moral right to continue after Ranade in his writ petition claimed that the chancellor did not apply mind while issuing the removal order.

Debroy had removed Ranade from his post of GIPE vice-chancellor on September 14 after a three-member committee investigating a complaint about the latter’s appointment found that it violated the UGC norms. Ranade approached the Bombay High Court which granted him interim relief till October 4.