Rajeev Kumar (activist)

Rajeev Kumar was a Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur who has reformed the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) by which the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) admit undergraduate students, by introducing greater transparency into it.[1][2] A recipient of the National RTI Award, 2010.[3] in 2011, a Supreme Court judgement called him "one of the many unsung heroes who help in improving the system."[4]

Since 2006, Rajeev Kumar has been using the Right to Information Act (RTI) to get information about how the IITs fix the eligibility criteria of admission through the JEE. A "protracted legal struggle"[5] over years with several tiers of the IIT administration, led to in 2010, the Delhi High Court ordering the IITs to reveal such information.[6][7] Since 2012, every candidate gets a carbon copy of their paper, and the various cutoffs are announced.[8] Due to this activism he was suspended, then compulsorily retired and much later on, reinstated in his job at the IIT by the President of India.[9]

Suspension for whistleblowing

In 2011, Kumar was suspended for damaging the reputation of IIT Kharagpur by reporting the massive copying that goes on in the institute, and for exposing a scam in the purchase of laptop computers.[10] The institute had also illegally accessed Kumar's phone records.[11] This led to noted Supreme Court lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan asking the MHRD Minister Kapil Sibal to ensure that whistleblowers like Rajeev should not be harassed.[12] Despite letters from the MHRD and the Central Vigilance Commission in 2013, IIT Kharagpur did not revoke the suspension.[5][13][14][15] In July 2012, the registrar of IIT wrote to the ministry "saying the withdrawal of suspension of Prof. Kumar and resumption of duties would adversely affect the academic atmosphere of the institute." [16]

Finally, the suspension was lifted in May 2013,[17]

References
  1. Chowdhury, Shreya Roy. "This professor's campaign reformed the opaque IIT admission system. So why was he suspended?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  2. Charu Sudan Kasturi (30 April 2013). "For "unsung hero" behind IIT JEE transparency, some reprieve after years of torment". Hindustan Times.quote: Kumar, dubbed by the Supreme Court of India as an “unsung hero” responsible for much of the transparency introduced in the IIT entrance examination in recent years
  3. http://www.rtiawards.org/prof_rajeevkumar.html
  4. Justices R.V. Raveendran, A.K. Patnaik (11 October 2011). "Sanchit Bansal & Anr vs Joint Admission Board & Ors". Supreme Court of India.
  5. PNS (19 April 2013). "IIT-Kgp top rung in soup again". The Pioneer. Records obtained by Rajeev Kumar, with whom the institute is in protracted legal tussle, through RTI showed that (registrar IIT) wrote to BSNL on 10 January 2011 seeking details of calls, made and received from Kumar's personal mobile, for six months.
  6. IANS (8 April 2010). "Court notice to IITs on JEE". Hindustan Times. The Delhi High Court has sent notices to 15 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the ministry of human resource development to clarify their process of selection in the JEE.
  7. Shailesh Gandhi, Information Commissioner (6 November 2009). "Rajeev Kumar vs Indian Institute of Technology". Central Information Commission.
  8. Vinita Deshmukh (1 November 2012). "Irregularities in IIT JEE: Will the new HRD minister offer justice to this tenacious whistleblower?".
  9. Chandrani Banerjee (15 August 2011). "Without Armour". Outlook India.
  10. "IIT Kharagpur suspends whistleblower professor". Times of India. 14 May 2011.
  11. Charu Sudan Kasturi (30 May 2011). "IIT Kharagpur violates privacy law, snoops on prof's phone chat". Hindustan Times.
  12. Akshaya Mukul,TNN (10 March 2011). "Lawyer asks Sibal to ensure IIT prof is not 'harassed'". Times of India.
  13. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/review-suspension-of-whistleblower-centre-tells-iit-kharagpur/article4204218.ece
  14. Anubhuti Vishnoi (6 April 2013). "IIT Kharagpur defies CVC, faces heat". Indian Express. The HRD ministry recently directed the IIT to revoke the suspension of Prof Rajeev Kumar, as advised by the CVC, but it is yet to do so.
  15. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130228/jsp/nation/story_16615464.jsp#.UzJy9E34JnY
  16. Shiv Sahay Singh (16 December 2012). "Review suspension of whistleblower, Centre tells IIT Kharagpur". The Hindu.
  17. "Whistleblower professor resumes work at IIT-KGP". The Hindu. 3 May 2013.
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