The resignation of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur Director, Prof Ram Kumar Kakani, highlights the inconsistencies between the IIM Act and the institute’s HR policies, which some academics acknowledge have persisted for years and are seen as a key reason behind his decision to step down.

Prof Kakani said the “contradiction between the institute’s HR policies and the spirit of the IIM Act of 2017 was limiting” his professional scope, thereby hindering his work and decision-making. He resigned abruptly on July 22, well before his tenure was scheduled to end in March 2027. For more than two months, Prof Sanjeev Parashar has served as Director in charge. He could not be reached for comment.

Prof Kakani is the third director of a premier IIM in the past five years to resign, reportedly due to differences with the Board of Governors. Two former directors of IIM Kolkata—Anju Seth (2021) and Uttam Kumar Sarkar (2023)—resigned over disputes with their boards. A respected academic, Prof. Kakani has previously taught at IIM Kozhikode, XLRI Jamshedpur, and LLBSNAA Mussoorie. He is now the vice-chancellor of RV University, Bengaluru.

Faculty and senior students at IIM Raipur said disputes over administrative authority between directors and board chairpersons have increased since the IIM Act, 2017. They said these differences affected the institute’s administrative autonomy and functioning. Prof. Kanai had reportedly raised these concerns during his tenure.

A source explained the probable circumstance behind Prof Kakani’s resignation. “A grave academic integrity issue involving the institute’s faculty member, allegedly implicated in a forgery, acted as a primary catalyst for the sudden exit of Kakani. The fraud specifically related to a doctoral student’s signature to reorder the co-authorship of a research article accepted in an A-star journal,” the source said.

3rd head in five years to quit over rift with board

Prof Ram Kumar Kakani resigned abruptly as the IIM Raipur Director on July 22 this year, well before his tenure was scheduled to end in March 2027. Prof. Kakani is the third director of a premier IIM in the past five years to resign, reportedly due to differences with the Board of Governors.