In an unusual move for an autonomous scientific institution, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has revoked extension of tenure for a director of one of its autonomous institutes, little over a month after approving it.
Asha Kishore, Director of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, in a letter to Union Science Minister Harsh Vardhan, has alleged harassment. The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has ordered a stay on her extension.
According to documents perused by The Hindu, V.K. Saraswat, NITI Aayog member and president of the SCTIMST’s governing body (GB), after a board meeting on May 12, approved Dr. Kishore’s continuation as Director for 5 years till she “superannuated” at 65.
Being an autonomous institute of ‘national importance,’ the established practice — akin to the Indian Institutes of Management and Indian Institutes of Technology — is that the Board has the final say in appointments. Among the members of the Board and those who endorsed Dr. Kishore’s extension on June 2 was Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST.
In a June 21 letter, Dr. Kishore, while thanking Dr. Vardhan for “supporting the extension of her term for five years,” highlighted that she faced “unwarranted external interference ... and regular mudslinging by few employees of the institute.” She alleged that a “former secretary of Vijnana Bharati [an RSS-affiliated organisation that now organises prominent science festivals funded by the government] visited her office, shouted at her, and demanded that she resign.” Dr. Kishore added that there were several social media campaigns to target her and the institute’s medical and technology products.
On July 28, Rajeev Tayal, a senior official of the DST, wrote to Mr. Saraswat, saying that the institute was withdrawing the order extending Dr. Kishore’s tenure.
The broad argument made was that the GB had not followed rules in appointing the Director and that extensions were normally for a short term, and not for five years, which amounted to the original tenure of the Director.
No explanation was given for why these rules were not brought to light when the board met and approved Dr. Kishore’s extension and the decision endorsed by the DST’s seniormost official.
Mr. Sharma, when contacted by The Hindu, declined comment on the matter and said matters would proceed according to the directions given by the CAT. The latter, in an August 5 order, said it did not find Sections in the Rules governing the SCTIMST that empowered the president (in this case Mr. Saraswat) or the institute’s governing body to extend the tenure of the Director.
ACC route
An official familiar with goings-on in the institute said the spirit of the DST’s orders were to ensure that all appointments made even in autonomous institutes be routed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), the Ministry of Personnel body that oversees senior government appointments.
However, since Dr. Kishore and her predecessors’ appointments were not made by the ACC, it was followed that her extension too didn’t made by the ACC. “The traditional autonomy that the institute has enjoyed in terms of appointments is under dispute,” the person added. Dr. Kishore declined comment when reached by The Hindu.
The SCTIMST, while credited with developing several medical technological products — most recently it has developed an alternative to the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 that awaits the Indian Council for Medical Research’s approval — for decades has seen a fair share of controversy, particularly in matters of appointments.
