Panjab University Vice-Chancellor resigns amid corruption allegations

Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Raj Kumar has resigned after allegations of "malpractice and corruption" at the university. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, the university chancellor, has accepted the resignation and appointed Dean Renu Vig as the acting vice-chancellor. Vig, the senior-most professor at the university, is also the first woman to hold this position, as stated in a report by PTI.

Kumar resigned on January 10th in response to allegations of "malpractices and corruption" at the university made by the teachers' association and some senators in a letter to Dhankhar in December. The letter requested an independent investigation into claims of improper appointments and the promotion of a "gift culture" at the university. Kumar's resignation will be accepted on January 13.

On Monday, January 16, Satya Pal Jain, a senior Panjab University Fellow and Additional Advocate General of India, stated to reporters that multiple complaints about corruption had been received by the Vice-President's Office. He also emphasised that the government has zero tolerance for corruption.

Jain also said that he did not know if Kumar had been asked to resign, but confirmed that Kumar had submitted his resignation on January 10. A search committee will be established to select the next vice-chancellor, as reported by PTI.

It was in 2018, Kumar had joined as Panjab University's 13th vice-chancellor. He was given a three-year extension in 2021, with his term set to expire in June 2024. Before joining the varsity, Kumar was Director, Dean and Head of the Institute of Management Studies, at Banaras Hindu University.