HRD ministry rejects list for IIM-A chairman's post

The HRD ministry has rejected a list of names forwarded by Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A) management for its chairman's post and sought a fresh list of candidates, sources said on Sunday.

The rejected list included the names of Infosys Board of Directors chairman R. Seshasayee, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh and Hero MotoCorp CMD Pawan Munjal.

It was forwarded by a three-member search committee -- headed by Larsen & Toubro chairman and managing director Anil Naik, himself a former IIM-A chairman -- to the human resource development (HRD) ministry.

While the IIM-A's official statement refused to comment on the issue, the sources said the names were rejected as no government representative was present during the meetings of the search committee that drew up the list in March.

The IIM-A's 15-member board of governors has two representatives of the Centre and one of the state government but none of the three was present during the meetings that decided the list.

The list was finalised by consensus but the ministry took the stand that the formal procedure was not followed in the case.

According to a Memorandum of Association between the IIM-A and the ministry, the latter picks a name from the search committee's recommended candidates.

The IIM-A top post is lying vacant ever since Naik stepped down as board of governors chairman on December 31, two years ahead of the end of his tenure.

Cadila Healthcare CMD Pankaj Patel was appointed the interim chairman by the board and a search for the new chairman initiated.

With the rejection of the list, the institute will have to go through the entire process of creating a new search committee and then shortlisting new names for the prestigious post, delaying the appointment of the new chairman.

--IANS

desai/tsb/vt