By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, February 8, 2017 : Caught between the devil and deep sea, the XIMB authority on Wednesday had to eat humble pie by withdrawing the termination order of two eminent professors, Banikanta Mishra and D. V. Ramana.

Surprisingly, the withdrawal letter comes just a day before the scheduled hearing by Odisha High Court on the issue. Justice S. K. Mishra in January first week had observed that the termination order “appears to be without any reasons”. While directing the XIMB director to maintain status quo, he observed that “an order without reason is lifeless” and held that “the requirement of giving reasons to an order can be read as the requirement of principle of natural justice”.

The termination order by the XIMB authority on December 6 has drawn flak from students, former students, civil society, professors and even by some XIMB governing body members.

Paul Fernandes

The XIMB director, Paul Fernandez had simply sent a letter saying that the services of both professors were terminated without assigning any reasons. Their access to their official email id and telephone were abruptly blocked, and one month notice was given to vacate their quarters in the campus.

Both Professors have an impeccable reputation as sincere and highly professional academicians which is why their termination order virtually stunned many linked to the premier B-school.

However, many believed that the XIMB authorities would take a beating for unceremonious termination of services of both the professors without issuing any show cause notice and following procedures under the law.

Interestingly, this unilateral action of the Director in terminating both the popular professsors has opened the Pandora’s Box on the functioning of the premier B-School in the country and role of the Director, who happens to be the nephew of the Jesuit Society of Eastern India’s supreme leader the Provincial.

Prof Banikanta Mishra

Prof D V Ramana

Hundreds of individual emails were sent to XIMB, Director and Chairman, Union and state ministers and others with contents like, “Recent developments with regards to the Brand XIMB have caused great pain to me and I would like to highlight a few out as a concerned Alumnus. I hope you would take into account these concerns and take the right actions that are needed”.

Their concerns revolved round transparency in processes and accounts, use of campus infrastructure for non-academic purposes, unplanned expansion, student friendliness, and lack of right mix of mentors/professors.