By Nageshwar Patnaik in Bhubaneswar, January 12, 2017 : A powerful section of the government body of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) has come under scanner of CBI, judiciary, past and present students as well as the civil society for some questionable, irrational and illegal activities.

The unilateral sacking of two eminent professors by director, Paul Fernandez has exposed the chink in the governance of the premier B-School in the country to the extent that the Odisha High Court last week said, the order, “appears to be without any reasons”. While directing the XIMB director to maintain status quo, Justice S. K. Mishra added 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”.

Professor Banikanta Mishra and D. V. Ramana, who have worked for more than a quarter century at this 29-year old institution, were sacked on December 6 by the XIMB authority without giving any reason. On 6th December 2016, their official email accounts and internet were deactivated and they were served the termination orders and asked to vacate offices by the end of the day and official quarters within a month. They had not been given any prior warning, any charge-sheet, or any show-cause; they had not been given a chance to be heard.

Paul Fernandes

The writ petition filed by both the professors claimed that the terminations violated principles of natural justice, argued that, “a plain reading of the order of termination envisages that the authority passing the order of termination has not applied his judicial mind, as no reasons has been mentioned in the order of termination”.

“Professor Mishra and Professor Ramana have been the bedrock and pillars of XIM’s reputation and academic rigor”, says alumnus Srikanth Balasubramanian. Another alumnus, Professor Mohan at India Business Quiz website, echoes the feeling. “These are two Professors who have dedicated their entire life to XIMB, Bhubaneswar and the state of Odisha. Professionally, both have a stellar record and everyone who has come in contact with them will vouch for their integrity and commitment. They have been great role models to the thousands of students who learnt from them.”

Debabrat Mishra

There is an online campaign at Change.Org calling the XIMB decision a move to muffle voices of people on campus – especially those who choose to have an opinion. Debabrat Mishra, an alumnus has started a petition campaign demanding transparency and accountability in the governance of XIMB. By now, the petition has more than 1,500 alumni supporters from all over the world.

“Some of the GB members have been around for more than five years, especially the decade-long Chairman, Rajiv Kaul, who is the CEO of Nicco Corporation in Kolkata. Good governance requires independence through rotation. The GB of a Management Institute

   RAJIV KAUL

should have only credible individuals and for a defined period. Currently the Vice Chancellor of Xavier University of Bhubaneswar and Director XIMB don’t seem to carry relevant credentials to head the institutions. To head one of Eastern India’s premier educational institutions is this best and most meritocratic choice?” Debabrat asks.

Besides GB Chairman, eight Jesuits, and four corporate executives, the GB has three representatives of the Odisha government, its chief secretary, finance secretary, and skill development secretary; but it has no well-known educationist from the state or the country. It is learnt from reliable sources that none of the government representatives was present when the termination decision was taken by the GB.

John Felix Raj

What is still worse is the CBI summoning a XIMB GB member – Father Felix Raj, principal of St. Xavier’s College Kolkata, in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam on Saturday. This is the second time that Raj has appeared before the officials at the CBI office at CGO Complex in Kolkata.

CBI is investigating the role of Raj in a hefty donation of Rs 71 lakh paid by Rose Valley Group chairman Gautam Kundu towards his son’s admission in the college. Incidentally, the amount Kundu paid as a donation was sourced from Rose Valley Group’s earnings.

Incidentally, CBI has arrested two Trinamool Congress MPs— Tapas Pal and Sudip Bandyapadhyay— on charges of money laundering in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam.