Raising serious concerns over the recent appointment of Director of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), a member of the Governing Body of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has demanded a high-level inquiry into the recruitments that have taken place in the organisation during the the past five years.

Venugopal Badaravada, a member of the Governing Body, said the abrupt reassignment of Srinivasa Rao, who was previously serving as Director of the Hyderabad-based National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), while on an official tour to New Delhi, is “unprecedented”.

Badaravada has called for immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to quash the appointment order.

According to an office order issued by chief administrative officer of NAARM on December 26, Rao has been relieved from his post as per his (Rao’s) request to join the post of Director, IARI, New Delhi. The order also mentioned that Rao “is on official tour to New Delhi” and the office order has been issued with the “approval of the Director” (Rao).

Unprecedented transition

Badaravada said, “Such sudden transition is unprecedented in ICAR’s history. It raises serious question about the decision-making process. How can someone actively engaged in their responsibilities at one institute be unexpectedly reassigned to another without transparency?”

He alleged that the advertisement for the IARI Director’s position was rendered invalid due to unauthorised alterations of the recruitment rules without approval of the Governing Body. “These alterations have severely undermined the transparency and integrity of the recruitment process. Secondly, the Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) also did not raise objection to the changes made by ICAR and surrendered its authority,” he pointed out.

Badaravada said the matter related to selection and interview of Director of IARI (known popularly as Pusa institute) remains sub-judice, as some applicants have challenged the process in central administrative tribunal. “ICAR has admitted that one candidate used a forged certificate (to get called for the interview), but no action has been taken against the perpetrators or the institutions involved in the fraud,” he said.

He has emphasised the necessity for a comprehensive overhaul of ICAR’s recruitment system, which has been plagued by manipulation and favouritism.