Major relief to Dr Dheeraj Sharma as HC dismisses plea challenging his appointment as IIM-Rohtak director
Also sets aside show-cause issued to him by Centre over 'concealment' of academic qualifications
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Sharma had moved the high court challenging the show-cause notice issued by the government for allegedly “misrepresenting” his educational qualifications (Facebook/IIM Rohtak)The Punjab and Haryana High Court Tuesday dismissed a petition challenging Dr Dheeraj Sharma’s appointment as director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Rohtak, and also set aside a show-cause notice issued to him over alleged concealment of academic qualifications.
The order was passed by a bench of Justice Kuldeep Tiwari. The detailed judgment is awaited.
The controversy dates back to 2019, when one Amitava Chaudhary moved court alleging that Sharma, at the time of his initial appointment, did not meet the eligibility criteria as he had a second division in his bachelor’s degree, while the criteria for the post is a first division. It was further alleged that Sharma concealed this fact, leading to the issuance of a show-cause notice in 2022 by the Government, asking why action should not be taken against him for withholding crucial information.
Sharma first served as IIM-Rohtak director from 2017 to 2022. In 2022, he was reappointed for a second term, which is to end in 2027
The Education Ministry had informed the high court that it had written thrice to Sharma — first on February 18, 2021 and two reminders on June 28 and December 15, 2021— asking him for verified copies of his educational certificates to which he didn’t reply. On February 17, 2022, the ministry finally received his degrees from IIM-Rohtak only to discover that he had a second division in his undergraduate degree from Delhi University. A first-class Bachelor’s degree was the prerequisite for the job.
Sharma had disputed the government’s stand submitting that the government knew all along about him obtaining a second division in his undergraduate studies. He has also submitted that the Education Ministry’s stand that he did not respond to repeated requests for his degrees “is without any basis, unwarranted and incorrect.” Sharma had claimed that he e-mailed his educational degrees to the government on March 31, 2016.
Sharma had moved the high court challenging the show-cause notice issued by the government for allegedly “misrepresenting” his educational qualifications which led to his appointment in 2017. he had also challenged the show-cause notice in court on the grounds that the Centre lacked jurisdiction in the matter since the IIM’s Board of Governors is the appointing authority.
The court has now allowed his plea against the show cause notice.
In 2023, the Centre amended the IIM Act, 2017, to make the President the Visitor of the IIMs. With the amendment, the President was given the authority to make key appointments, audit institutions and conduct inquiries — powers that were previously held by the Board of Governors.
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