New Delhi: In yet another major detoxification drive, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry today (Nov 26, 2004) sacked the 30-member governing body of prestigious Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS), Shimla, constituted during NDA (National Democratic Alliance) rule, appointing eminent historian JS Grewal as its new head.

The action saw the termination of membership of six Vice Chancellors and 24 educationists appointed in the body by former HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi in April 2002.

Grewal takes over as the governing body chairman replacing GC Pandey who was considered close to Joshi. Both Pandey and Joshi have their association since their Allahabad University days.

The revamping of the governing body came in the backdrop of the reported non-cooperation by the IIAS' previous governing body to cooperate with the one-man committee set up by the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government to review the functioning the institute over the last three years.

The new six Vice Chancellors are pro-Left historian Mushirul Hasan of Jamia Millia University, Ganeshan of CIEFL, Hyderabad, Vachaspati Upadhyaya of Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, New Delhi, CS Chadha of Indore University, Mrinal Miri of North Eastern Hill University, Shillong and Arun Kumar Dave of Gujarat Vidyapeeth of Ahmedabad.

Prominent among the 24 educationists appointed to the Board include Irfan Habib, U R Ananthamurthy, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Kirit Parikh, Abhijit Sen and Balachandra Mungekar (both Planning Commission Members), CP Chandrasekhar, Ayyappa Panikker and Amarty Desai.

The new appointees would hold office till April 10, 2005, an official release said.

The Ministry was unhappy following a complaint from the one-man inquiry committee under former IAS officer D Bandopadhyay and had asked Pandey to issue a show-cause notice to IIAS director Bhuvan Chandel calling for an explanation for alleged refusal to hand over relevant papers to the probe panel.

Ministry sources said the papers were needed in order to probe the sanctioning of the fellowships in the last three years.