Reddy ignored rules of Irma: Kurien

K Prathap Reddy, the former director of Rural Management-Anand (Irma), has been accused of 'ignoring the rules and customs and practices of Irma,' in the termination letter sent to him by Varghese Kurien.

In the three-page termination letter, Kurien, however, has not brought any charges of corruption or malpractice against Reddy.

Some members of the Board of Governors of the institute also said that there was not even a single concrete charge in the termination letter that could justify Reddy's termination.

Reddy has challenged his termination before the Gujarat High Court The case, which was scheduled to be heard on Monday, now has been postponed because of lawyers' strike.

In the termination letter, a copy of which is with Business Standard, Kurien alleges that Reddy had teamed up with five members of the Board, who, according to Kurien, had 'illegally' attended the Board meeting on February 28. Kurien claims that had full knowledge of this fact, but did not inform the chairman.

However sources close to Reddy said on Tuesday that the term of all those five members were renewed for another two years in the February 28 meeting, which was chaired by Kurien.

In that meeting even Kurien had agreed extension of tenure of these five members including chairman of National Institute of Design, Hasmukh Shah, director of Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Bakul Dholakia, Managing Director of Bsix, Vijay Mahajan, head of Centre for Development Management, V Ramachandran, and Father E Abraham, director of Xaviers' Institute of Management at Bhubaneshwar.

"You did not inform the chairman that some members of the board had ceased to be members of the board on February 15.

"Instead, you invited and issued agenda of the board meeting held on February 28 to those," says the letter.

The second major charge is that Reddy had circulated and finalised the minutes of the Irma board meeting held on February 28.

Kurien also has taken offence to Reddy's decision to convene a board meeting on April 1. He has also questioned Reddy's right to convene such a meeting.

"Despite my instructions, and by ignoring the rules and customs and practices of Irma, you have acted in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Irma Society and the Institute," says the letter.

Interestingly, Kurien blames Reddy for not filing appeal against the order of the Assistant Charity Commissioner, Anand, which for the first time questioned the legality of the life-time chairmanship.

"Irma Board and Society's unanimous resolutions with regard to the change report submitted in 2004 were not acted upon in the true interest of the Society. When the Assistant Charity Commissioner did not approve the change report, you, as the member-secretary should have initiated appropriate action to appeal against it. Instead, you acted in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Society," alleges Kurien.

Reddy also has been charged for forcing one of the faculty members to increase Reddy's share of consultancy fee at the expense of other members.

The letter also asks Reddy to surrender his office car, mobile phone, computers and vacate the bungalow by April 14, a day before the convocation ceremony of Irma.