High-level team likely to probe allegations against Roy
The government and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) seem to be unperturbed over the controversies on the unexpected removal of statistician Bimal Roy as the Director of the Kolkata-based academic institute.
Defending the decision to remove the Padma Shri award winner Roy from the post, ISI Chairman and senior BJP leader Arun Shourie said the government had no option before it.
Shourie told BusinessLine that there is nothing wrong in Roy’s removal and the decision was taken in the best interest of ISI. “The government had no option but to use the powers it had under the ISI Act. He (Roy) created a situation which would have paralysed the institution and vitiated the atmosphere. All the facts, circumstances and the law have been set out in the records of the Institute and has been furnished to the Government,” Shourie said taking “full responsibility” for the step which has been taken.
Indications are there that a high-level team of the Ministry for Statistics and Programme Implementation is likely to visit Kolkata soon to probe the allegations against Roy.
The Ministry order removing Roy had said that it has information on “a number of general and specific matters of financial and administrative irregularities”.
The government also cited Section 11 and 12 of the Indian Statistical Act to justify its Act. A source who is aware of the developments in the ISI said Roy declined to sign in the order of appointment of his predecessor despite directions from the governing council.
“He delayed the appointment of the director. He leaked out to the media the minutes of the internal proceedings of the council,” the source said.
