Indian Institute Of Management Calcutta Director Anju Seth Resigns

Prof Anju Seth, Director of Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIMC) has submitted her resignation to the Prime Minister’s Office and the board citing unchecked conflict-of-interest, interference by the chairman and open breach of government guidelines in matters of procurement and personnel. 

She has also alleged the chairman with the support of the board of starting a process of denigrating and maligning her publicly.

Prof Anju had accused chairman Shrikrishna Kulkarni of infringing on her executive powers and the board, in return, had inculpated her of inappropriate conduct.

She resigned from the post one year before the end of her tenure in the premier management institution of the nation. 

Prof Seth sent a letter to the Union Ministry of Education asking them to relieve her from the designation. "Yes, I have sent in my resignation letter on Sunday. I am not well right now. I am disappointed as I am leaving a dream only partially fulfilled; it is not what I had sought," she informed PTI. 

She had taken a leave of two days citing her unwell health, before putting in her papers. Prof Anju Seth, the first woman Director of IIM Calcutta had taken over the charge in 2018. 

Her decision to quit came amid a strong tussle with the teaching faculty of the institution. A section of teachers of the 60-year-old management institution had recently complained to the Union Ministry of Education about Seth's conduct. 

Prof Seth in her letter has hoped for a bright future for the institution. “I am proud that I tried my best and that I have disrupted the conventional barriers that were holding back the opportunity for IIM Calcutta to emerge as a world-class institution," she stated. Hoping that in the coming future the institution will "continue to build on a culture of transparency and accountability as core values," Prof Seth affirmed, "I have been privileged to work with many dedicated and talented people and wish them the very best for the future". She concluded, "I continue to be a proud alumnus of IIM Calcutta and shall always be." 

She has served as the Professor of Business Administration at the University of Illinois and has also held the position of Professor of Management at Virginia Tech, US.