Centre accepts resignation of Mahesh Rangarajan as Nehru Memorial chief over unethical posting

The government on 17 September accepted the resignation of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) director Mahesh Rangarajan saying his posting was unethical. The government had sought the opinion of the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in his appointment.

"It is not my personal choice whether he should resign or not. He has (offered) to resign. So, the government and the Executive Council will take a decision," Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma had said on 16 September.

Asked whether he has received any resignation letter from the NMML's director, the minister said he came to know about Rangarajan's offer to resign through the media and no formal resignation letter was received by his office.

"I have not received it (resignation letter). I have only read it in the newspapers," he said.

The minister added that the Centre has commenced the process of seeking the Election Commission's opinion apart from that of the Law Ministry over Rangarajan's appointment.

"The process has started," he said, while stressing that "procedural lapses" would be investigated.

Days after Sharma termed his appointment during the UPA rule for a further 10-year period as "illegal", Rangarajan offered to resign as the director of NMML.

At a meeting of the Executive Council recently, Rangarajan offered to resign citing personal reasons after which most of the members in the eight-member Council, chaired by ICCR President Lokesh Chandra, asked him to reconsider his move.

Terming Rangarajan's appointment as director of NMML as "illegal and unethical", Sharma had said it was done despite the Election Commission writing a letter on 12 May 2014, to the Culture Ministry asking it to defer a proposal on permanent absorption of Rangarajan for the post till the election process was over.

As a result of the change made by the UPA in 2014, Rangarajan's three-year tenure which was to end in August 2014 was changed to a permanent job till retirement (60) -- which meant he had 10 more years in office, till 2024

The government decided to seek the opinion from the Election Commission, which had told the Culture Ministry to defer a proposal on the permanent absorption of Rangarajan for the post till the election process was over in May 2014.