A case has emerged regarding the alleged misuse of the institute’s revenue at the prestigious academic institution, IIT Roorkee. The institute’s administration has allegedly paid lakhs of rupees from its revenue to benefit the personal interests of its director, an act that has no precedent. Even individuals associated with the institute believe that this payment should not have been made and that the director should have borne the cost from his own pocket.

The issue revolves around the present director, Prof. K.K. Pant, who joined IIT Roorkee as its director in October 2022. Before this, Prof. Pant was as a senior faculty with IIT Delhi’s Chemical Engineering department and also served as the Dean. Despite joining IIT Roorkee, he did not vacate his official residence at IIT Delhi. As a result, IIT Delhi sent him a rental bill exceeding ₹3 lakh in March 2024.

To cover this hefty amount, Prof. Pant allegedly devised a strategy. According to sources, the institute’s administration decided to legitimize this payment by presenting it at the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting in April. The argument was that since the director frequently travels to Delhi for “official visits” and utilizes his allocated residence at IIT-Delhi for this purpose, IIT-Roorkee would pay the rent on his behalf and continue to do so in the future until his leaves Roorkee as the institute director.

On April 9, 2024, the Board of Governors meeting was held, and this matter was formally presented in favour of the director. The resolution not only approved the payment of Rs 3,10,800 from the institute’s revenue but also proposed a request to IIT Delhi’s director to grant a rent waiver. It is worth noting that Prof. Pant is on deputation at IIT-Roorkee and will return to IIT Delhi after completing his tenure.

On May 15, 2024, IIT-Roorkee administration officially wrote to IIT Delhi, requesting a rent concession. However, IIT Delhi’s registrar, Atul Vyas, responded in a letter dated June 7, 2024, stating that due to a shortage of faculty housing, no rent waiver would be granted. In other words, IIT-Roorkee will continue to pay for Prof. Pant’s accommodation at IIT Delhi from its revenue.

Alumni of the institute expressed concern, stating that they raise funds through donations to strengthen the institute’s academic and infrastructural framework. However, they believe these funds are being blatantly misused to serve the personal interests of an individual at the institute. “This is a highly unfair act and should be condemned,” said one alumnus on the condition of anonymity.