The President’s office has asked the HRD ministry to seek legal opinion on the recommendation to dismiss Visva Bharati Vice Chancellor Sushanta Dattagupta, a day after the government forwarded a scathing report on his conduct as the university head. As first reported by The Indian Express on September 22, the HRD ministry had sent its final report on Dattagupta to President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday, finding him guilty of financial and administrative irregularities. The ministry spokesperson, Ghanshyam Goel, declined to comment on the ground that the “Visva Bharati file has not come back from the President’s office.” [related-post] Dattagupta could become the first head of a central university to be sacked by the NDA government if Mukherjee accepts the ministry’s report. However, the President’s office, sources said, wants to clear all legal ambiguities as the proposed move is unprecedented. The current university law carries no provision to sack the institution’s head.
