The decision taken by President Pranab Mukherjee on the inquiry report against IGNOU's former vice chancellor Mohammed Aslam should not be made public, the Delhi High Court has said.The Centre told the court that the decision on the basis of the inquiry report has to be taken by the president in his capacity as 'visitor' to the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).Allowing the Centre's plea to submit the report to the president, Justice R.S. Endlaw restrained it from publishing the decision and further directed it to produce it before the court in a sealed cover.
Aslam was asked to go on leave after an inquiry was instituted against him on November 18 last year, with the union human resource development ministry appointing a one-man committee comprising Central University of Gujarat vice chancellor Syed Bari to review the functioning of IGNOU and look into the allegations against Aslam.Aslam had come under attack for his decision to discontinue the community college scheme, that left thousands of students including soldiers, airmen and sailors without certificates and diplomas, and the convergence scheme.He is also accused of administrative irregularities and wrongdoings in appointment of various faculty.During the last hearing, counsel Salman Khurshid, appearing for Aslam, had contended that since the inquiry has been completed, his client was "entitled to be relegated to the old position".Currently, Nageshwar Rao is the IGNOU vice chancellor in-charge.