A poetic justice seems to have caught up with the Nalanda University Governing Board that was recently dissolved by President Pranab Mukherjee. Ironically it was he who, as the External Affairs Minister in 2007, had appointed the Nalanda University mentor group that was later upgraded to Governing Board. But the Board’s manipulative attitude to extend the tenure of Vice Chancellor Dr. Gopa Sabharwal to maintain the ‘cosy club’ intact led to the wholesale dismissal. Time has indeed come a full circle.
Pranab Mukherjee in his letter dated June 28, 2007 invited Prof. Amartya Sen to head the mentor group. The group was given eight tasks , which with sufficient impunity they did not perform at all. But Prof. Sen found time enough to stealthily bring in Dr. Gopa Sabharwal as the Vice Chancellor. No wide publicity or selection process was followed. Though as the External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee was not in favour of Gopa Sabharwal, Prof. Amartya Sen could get her through due to his proximity to the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The malfeasance in Dr. Gopa Sabharwal’s appointment was noted in the CAG audit of FY.2012-13 but no action was initiated by the UPA government.
Bihar Times began the campaign to expose the hollowness of Nalanda University in August, 2011. Until then this ‘international’ university had no website even though it had been incorporated on November 25, 2010. Even after the website was launched on October 7, 2011 the university was not complying with proactive disclosure norms under RTI Act, 2005 until former Power Secretary R. Venkatanarayanan, IAS (Retd) made a formal complaint to the Central Information Commission in 2012.
Bihar Times carried a series of articles exposing the Nalanda University project at a time few in the media dared to it. They felt Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna Awardee, was too big a celebrity to be challenged or even doubted. But we showed how Amartya Sen was part of the problem rather than solution. Sen was so affected by the incisive campaign of Bihar Times that he called it ‘parochial’ while in Beijing for Governing Board meeting.
Bihar Times was the first to bring to light APJ Abdul Kalam’s letter of disassociation with the Nalanda University project. The former President of India, also a Bharat Ratna, felt frustrated with the project that was his brainchild. But being a perfect gentleman he never spoke against it in public.
Bihar Times campaign forced Nalanda University to launch a website, shift its operations from New Delhi to Rajgir, comply with RTI Act , advertise for its posts, and sign MoUs with EAS various nations. The departing UPA government extended the term of the Governing Board indefinitely without any reference to Parliament. However, the incumbent NDA government did little to change the Governing Board for two years. However, the very act of change in government led to some change in the outlook of the Governing Board. The classes were begun, Buddhist Studies department (to which Amartya Sen was always apathetic) were started etc.
But 2016 is not 2010. Amartya Sen had surreptitiously brought in Gopa Sabharwal as Vice Chancellor the university had not started. Very few were seriously interested in the post until they learnt about the fabulous salary. But now that the University has become functional, though with merely 12 students, the Vice Chancellor’s post has become coveted. Therefore the attempt to grant her second full term, while putting up charade to search a new Vice Chancellor, became inherently contradictory. The manipulative attitude of Governing Board led to its dissolution.
A poetic justice seems to have caught up with the Nalanda University Governing Board that was recently dissolved by President Pranab Mukherjee. Ironically it was he who, as the External Affairs Minister in 2007, had appointed the Nalanda University mentor group that was later upgraded to Governing Board. But the Board’s manipulative attitude to extend the tenure of Vice Chancellor Dr. Gopa Sabharwal to maintain the ‘cosy club’ intact led to the wholesale dismissal. Time has indeed come a full circle. 
Bihar Times began the campaign to expose the hollowness of Nalanda University in August, 2011. Until then this ‘international’ university had no website even though it had been incorporated on November 25, 2010. Even after the website was launched on October 7, 2011 the university was not complying with proactive disclosure norms under RTI Act, 2005 until former Power Secretary R. Venkatanarayanan, IAS (Retd) made a 
Bihar Times carried a series of articles exposing the Nalanda University project at a time few in the media dared to it. They felt Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna Awardee, was too big a celebrity to be challenged or even doubted. But we showed how Amartya Sen was part of the problem rather than solution. Sen was so affected by the incisive campaign of Bihar Times that he called it ‘