GIPE withdraws Ajit Ranade’s termination as Vice Chancellor of the institute

The bench said that in the event the Institute proposes any further action, it should follow the principle of natural justice. It accepted a request by advocate Vivek Salunkhe for Ranade that in case of any adverse decision, it should not be implemented for the period of seven days for him to seek appropriate relief against the same.

Earlier, the court had passed an interim order and directed that termination of order shall not be brought into effect till October 25, when Ranade’s plea was to be heard next. On Tuesday, Institute’s lawyer informed the bench that the impugned termination letter was withdrawn, after which it disposed of the plea.

Welcoming the decision, Ranade said, “I welcome with thanks the decision of the Honourable Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics to withdraw the earlier order of my termination from the post of Vice Chancellor at Gokhale Institute. The same was also informed by the lawyer representing the Chancellor’s office during the hearing at the Honourable Bombay High Court this morning during the hearing”.

Milind Deshmukh, Secretary of Servants of India Society that established GIPE, said “Chancellor Sanjeev Sanyal has taken back the order of termination of Dr Ranade. This decision is correct and good for the Institute”.

Economist and political analyst Dr. Ajit Ranade was terminated as the Vice Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) on September 14. He was issued a termination letter by Chancellor, Bibek Debroy after a fact finding committee found that his candidature does not conform to the established norms set forth by the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.

In light of the decision, Ranade further said, “I look forward to working with my colleagues and all stakeholders of Gokhale Institute with renewed vigour and commitment and with the guidance of the Chancellor to take the Institute to newer heights of excellence”.

Kautubh Patil, advocate of Bombay High Court who fought against Ranade’s appointment as VC said, “The new chancellor, Sanjeev Sanyal is of the opinion that Ranade didn’t get enough time to present his case internally at the institute since he was terminated immediately the next morning after the fact-finding committee’s report. So with this withdrawal, Sanyal is giving time to Ranade to present his case at the institute level”