Extensive probe on,final decision in two months: IIT-K director

The next BOG meeting is scheduled for May 27 but it can be advanced if required,said Dhande.

Stating the reason behind delay in the probe,Dhande said: “Plagiarism is a serious charge,therefore we want to check out each and every aspect very carefully before arriving on a decision as it can directly affect the career of a faculty member and three students.”

He further said that in addition to the three-member investigating team of IIT-K,the issue has been consulted with experts outside the institu¿e. “Our fact-finding team has also taken up the academic,administrative and legal aspects related to the mat¿er,” he added.

In October 2010,a review journal had reportedly retracted two research papers from IIT-Kanpur alleging plagiarism from journal articles and Wikipedia. Caught in the thick of controversy are Associate Professor of Bio Sciences and Bio Engineering department,Ashok Kumar and students – Ruchi Mishra,Seema Rani Jain and Radha Gupta.

Following the allegations,Dhande had formed a three-member team of senior faculty members including Professor Ashwini Kumar,Professor Somenath Bishwas and Professor Kalyanmoy Deb to probe into the matter.

On the basis of the report prepared by the IIT-K team,a showcause notice was issued to Kumar. The reply given by Kumar and the probe report was presented before the Board of Governor (BOG) of IIT-K on March 5. On the instructions of the Board,the IIT-K team has once again started a detailed investigation in the matter.