[ganpat1956]

New Delhi, August 2: THE Central Information Commission (CIC) directed the IIT Delhi administration on Thursday to reinstate its suspended Registrar Col Rajendra Singh within two working days. Information Commissioner O P Kejriwal said it appears the institute director suspended Singh to settle “personal scores”.

IIT Delhi Director Prof Surendra Prasad had suspended Singh for non-payment of a penalty imposed on him by the CIC in an earlier case. Delivering his order, Kejriwal said the HRD Secretary should take suitable action against Prasad, emphasising that he had “exceeded his authority”. According to the order, Singh should be back in office latest by Tuesday.

The CIC had in an earlier case imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on Singh. In case of non-payment the amount was to be deducted from his salary. The CIC noted that it had subsequently received the complete payment in two instalments. Its Thursday order came on a complaint submitted by Singh on Monday that he had been victimised and suspended by the institute.

The CIC said the way he (Prasad) acted it appears to be a means of settling personal scores. Kejriwal said the CIC had directed the institute only to recover the penalty from Singh’s salary and in no way empowered the director to suspend him by way of administrative action. Reprimanding Prasad for misusing the CIC’s order and the RTI, Kejriwal has recommended action against him.

Singh was suspended last Friday, a day after he approached the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) seeking an investigation into “misappropriation of funds at IIT Delhi”. Singh had sought investigations into an order issued to him by the IIT administration for release of Endowment Funds for foreign junkets of faculty members during the first week of July this year.

Reinstate Registrar by Tuesday, CIC directs IIT Delhi