On Friday, the Uttarakhand High Court heard a writ petition that has brought the financial functioning of IIM Kashipur under public scrutiny. What drew the Court’s attention was the allegation that serious audit objections relating to several crores of rupees had been left unaddressed for years by the institute’s management, raising concerns about oversight and transparency at one of the country’s premier management institutions.
According to the Petition, auditors had flagged objections involving nearly Rs. 8 crore spent by IIM Kashipur, but despite clear norms requiring timely review, the Board of Governors had not taken any corrective action. The Petitioner claimed that for the last two years, the audit concerns remained pending without meaningful examination, even though the rules mandate the board to scrutinise and rectify issues arising from financial audits. The plea argued that such inertia pointed to possible mismanagement and neglect of statutory responsibilities.
During the hearing, counsel for the Petitioner submitted that the auditors’ objections were not minor procedural lapses but serious flags that demanded immediate action from the institute’s governing body. The counsel argued that the continued silence of the management despite repeated audit remarks amounted to administrative indifference, which undermined the very accountability framework upon which public institutions rely. He stressed that the Petitioner approached the Court only after observing that no internal mechanism had responded to the audit concerns for an unreasonably long period.
The Court, while considering the material placed before it, observed that audit objections cannot be allowed to remain unresolved indefinitely, particularly when they concern significant public expenditure at a national institute of importance. It noted that when statutory auditors raise questions on financial propriety, the competent authority is expected to undertake a thorough review without delay. The Court emphasised that such scrutiny is essential to maintain institutional credibility, especially when public funds are involved.
Acting on these concerns, the Court directed the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Higher Education to treat the writ petition as a representation and conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the objections raised by the auditors regarding the Rs. 8 crore expenditure. The Court has given a four-week timeline for completion of the inquiry
Source Link
Picture Source :
