Over a month before he resigned in July, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur Director Ram Kumar Kakani wrote to the Ministry of Education seeking guidance on a matter that “raised significant concerns about administrative autonomy and operational integrity”, The Indian Express has learnt. Subsequently, records reviewed by this newspaper show, Kakani quit over differences with the chairman of the institute’s board of governors, citing “constriction of professional space” to discharge his duties. In his resignation letter, Kakani wrote about a perceived dissonance between the spirit of the IIM Act, 2017, and the HR policies “in vogue” at the institute earlier. The resignation followed a sequence of events triggered by disciplinary action taken against a faculty member, which was struck down in court, the records show. Kakani, a well-known academic, is the third IIM director to have resigned in the past four years over differences with the board's chairperson, after two IIM Calcutta heads Anju Seth (2021) and Uttam Kumar Sarkar (2023). Since then, he has taken charge as Vice Chancellor of RV University in Bengaluru - he has previously taught at IIM Kozhikode, XLRI Jamshedpur and LBSNAA Mussoorie. Kakani was appointed to lead IIM Raipur in 2022 and quit on July 21, 2025, two years before the end of his tenure. A day later, the Raipur institute's board accepted the resignation. When contacted, Kakani said he did not want to comment on the matter. The Education Ministry did not respond to queries from The Indian Express on Kakani's departure. Puneet Dalmia, chairman of the institute's board of governors, did not respond to emailed queries from The Indian Express. However, records show that Kakani's departure was prompted by the fallout of disciplinary proceedings against a faculty member who was suspended last year over allegations of academic impropriety. Consider this: April 2024: The faculty member, who holds the post of associate professor, was suspended over alleged academic impropriety after a charge sheet was issued. He approached the Chhattisgarh High Court, seeking the quashing of the suspension and inquiry. He claimed in court that he was eligible for promotion to professor in 2023 but was not considered due to a complaint against him pertaining to a dispute in the authorship sequence in a journal. In a subsequent petition, the faculty member sought for the court to declare that the director’s role as disciplinary authority is in violation of the IIM Act, 2017, under which the appointing authority is the board of governors. The institute and the director had argued then that the faculty member was appointed in 2013, under the then provisions of the institute’s HR policy under which the director is the appointing and disciplinary authority. April 24, 2025: The High Court quashed the disciplinary proceedings and the charge sheet, stating that the board, headed by the chairman, and not the director, was the appointing authority as per the IIM Act, 2017, and the charge sheet can only be issued upon approval of the board. The court also said the institute could take steps as per the provisions of the IIM Act after giving the faculty member a hearing. April 28: Another suspension order was issued against the faculty member; he approached the High Court again. In May, the High Court quashed the second suspension order, stating that the institute could proceed against the faculty member as per the IIM Act, if so advised. June 13: Kakani wrote to the Ministry: “The Court’s interpretation. has led to the Chairperson, Board of Governors. unilaterally asserting control over administrative, financial, and disciplinary matters that is inconsistent with the IIM Act, 2017, its 2023 amendment, and prevailing HR practices, policies, and service rules at IIM Raipur and peer IIMs.” Kakani wrote that the implications of the judgement go beyond this case and redefines the governance structure of IIMs, pointing out that the chairperson of the board of governors “has consistently and increasingly taken over executive functions that statutorily rest with the Director”. Pointing out that the IIM Act, 2017, was framed to grant autonomy while ensuring accountability, Kakani wrote “the recent developments at IIM Raipur erode that foundation.” June 26: The board asked the director to reinstate the faculty member as per the court’s directive, ensuring that facilities are provided and duties assigned as per his cadre. July 12: Kakani wrote another letter to the Ministry asking for further guidance on a matter that “raised significant concerns about administrative autonomy and operational integrity” of IIM Raipur. He pointed out that the Ministry’s communication after his last letter seeking directions referred to the issue having stemmed from a dissonance between provisions of the IIM Act and the institution’s HR policies, which were framed before the Act. He wrote that the disciplinary action taken was deliberated upon and approved by the board in its meetings held in November 2023 and December 2024, but was not taken cognizance of during the court proceedings. “This shortcoming may have limited the court’s understanding of the administrative process followed,” he wrote. July 21: Kakani resigned. His resignation letter stated that a perceived dissonance between the spirit of the IIM Act, 2017, and the HR policies “in vogue at IIM Raipur”, formulated during the pre-Act period “resulted in the constriction of the professional space available to me in discharge of my duties, in the spirit of institutional governance and academic excellence”.
